The Reason
by BellaChristopher
Summary: Stories from Bella and Edward's younger years and on. Will their friendship become something more? Rated T for later chapters. ALL HUMAN in case you couldn't tell.
1. Age 5

**I've always wanted to write a story about Bella and Edward when they were little, so here ya go!**

**Sorry if some of the grammer and such is off, but when you were five, you didn't talk perfectly either!!**

**Enjoy... I hope!**

**BellaChristopher**

* * *

Edward grabbed my hand reassuringly as we walked toward the elementary school. Big kids pushed past us as we slowly made our way to the school enterance, but Edward never let go of my hand.

We stopped at the bottom of the steps and Edward turned toward me. "Are you okay, Bella?" he asked me quietly. His green eyes were filled with concern for me, and I smiled slightly. He was so nice, and that is why he is my bestest friend.

I thought about lying and saying I was okay, but Edward knew me too well. Might as well tell the truth. "No," I mumbled looking down at our hands.

"Well, what's wrong?" he asked. "We're in the same class, we're bestest friends… what is bad?" He was so confused. Edward could normally tell what people were thinking, but he couldn't with me!

"You're gonna find someone who's cooler than me to be your new best buddy." I voiced my worries so quickly, I was surprised he had even heard what I said.

He hugged me and mumbled in my ear, "_You_ are my best buddy… you _always_ will be."

We stood holding each other until we saw a camera flash.

We stepped apart right away, and I blushed when I saw Mommy and Daddy and Carlisle and Esme smiling at us. Mommy's camera was hanging next to her waist, but the lens cap was off so I knew she took the picture.

"I can't believe our babies are going into kindergarten!" Mommy squealed, sounding a lot like Edward's sister, Alice.

"You two are so grown up!" Esme gushed.

"Mom!" Edward and I groaned together.

"C'mon, we don't want them to be late," Carlisle said as he tried to tug Esme to their car.

"Let me say goodbye to my little man!" Esme said, shoving Carlisle away. She ran over and gave us both a hug with Mommy right behind her. Mommy gave me a hug and a kiss before walking away.

I wiped the lipstick off my forehead with the back of my hand. "Ewww!" I grumbled.

Big kids started laughing at me and making baby noises. My eyes filled with tears and my lower lip jutted out, only making them laugh harder. I blushed in embarrassment and hid behind Edward.

"Leave her alone!" Edward shouted.

"Ooh! You her little pwotector?" one of the big kids said in a baby voice. He was a foot taller than Edward, but Edward didn't show him he was scared.

He pursed his lips, and his green eyes filled with such anger, I took a step back. Edward ran forward, and kicked the boy with all his strength in the shin. The big kid fell over and wailed in pain. Edward kicks hard cause he plays soccer.

Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. "Thank you," I said quietly. I didn't even notice the tears had slipped out until Edward wiped them away with his small fingers.

We stood there in silence for a moment, until I mustered enough courage to ask, "Why'd you do that?"

"He was being mean to you. Nobody messes with my bestest friend." He grinned crookedly, but it was quickly wiped away from his face.

"Thank you," I said again. No one could be a better friend than Edward.

"Why don't we go see Alice? She's probably in the classroom already," Edward suggested. I nodded nervously. I don't wanna meet the teacher. I dunno what I'll do if she is evil like Emmett says she is.

Edward smiled softly and let me to the classroom. He was right, Alice was already in the room, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Finally!" she squealed, throwing herself at us. She gave us a quick group hug before pulling back. Even though we were the same age, the top of Alice's spiky hair just reached my nose. Edward had assured me countless times that I was no giant, Alice was just teeny.

"C'mon you two, I found your cubbies!" she grabbed my hand and pulled me across the room. I shoved my tattered backpack and coat into the cubbie that had my name on it. Before I had time to take off my boots, Alice pulled me over to my desk. "Here's where you sit!" she said proudly. Alice had taught herself to read when she was four, and she was really good.

"And-" Alice said starting to drag me somewhere else.

"Alice!" I whined. "I need to take my boots off. The teacher'll show us all this stuff for the tour." I made my way over to the cubbie with all my things in it and tugged off my polka-dot rain boots.

Slipping on my white Keds, I walked over to Edward. "Did Alice show you where you sit?" I asked. I wasn't good at making friends, so I wished desperately that Edward would be sitting next to me. But luck, like always, wasn't with me.

"I'm sitting over there," he said, pointing across the room. He looked so sad, but I knew I was sadder. Edward could always make friends real easy, but I couldn't.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the bell rang, and other kids rushed in, filling their cubbies and finding their seats.

With a wave and a small smile, Edward walked over to his seat. I lowered myself slowly into my chair. This stinks!

"Hi!" I heard someone say beside me. I turned, and who do I see? My least favorite person- Mike Newton. His blonde hair was spiked straight up and it was shining from all the gel he put in it.

He sat down in his chair, sliding it toward me. I resisted the need to barf, barely. I looked to find Edward for help, but he was busy defending himself. His seat partner was just as bad as mine, if not, worse. Jessica Stanley was a girl version of Mike personality wise. I turned to Alice, only to find her shrinking away from Tyler Crowley, who's had a crush on Alice since he first saw her in preschool. Looks like we are all alone.

Mike continued to babble on about something, but he shut up real quick when the teacher walked in. The room was creepily quiet as she took roll call to make sure everyone was here. Then, she started to teach us the alphabet.

"Who can tell me what the first letter of the alphabet is?" she asked. Edward's hand flew up instantly; he knew the alphabet forwards and backwards. "Yes Edward?"

"A," he said confidently. Jessica gave him a pat on the back as the teacher congratulated him.

"Edward is such a show off. He acts like he knows everything!" Mike complained. "I feel bad for Jess, having to sit next to him."

I had been biting my lip, trying to hold in my anger, but I snapped when he said he _felt bad_ for Jessica. I stomped on Mike's toes with all of my strength, instantly releasing my anger.

"Ow!" Mike screeched. The teacher, and everyone else in the room, turned to look and Mike and me.

"What's the matter Mr. Newton?" the teacher asked. She was obviously angry that Mike had interrupted her lesson on the alphabet.

"Bella stepped on my toe!" he said. That little tattle tail! I can't believe he told the teacher on me!

"Isabella, did you do that on purpose?" the teacher asked, turning her angry gaze toward me.

As much as I wanted to lie and say I didn't, I decided to tell the truth. I was a lousy liar anyway, so the teacher would probably see through me.

"Yes," I said. I could feel Edward's gaze burning a hole in through my back, but I refused to break eye contact with the teacher.

"Why did you do that?" the teacher asked.

I don't care what Mike did, I 'm not gonna tattle on him. So instead, I shrugged my shoulders.

The teacher sighed, feigning unhappiness. "Well, Ms. Swan, you are going to have to miss recess for what you did." The bell rang, and the teacher led everyone out the door. Edward and Alice stood at the door, unsure of what to do. The teacher shooed them out, and they ran off shooting apologetic glances in my direction.

I ran over to the window to see what Edward and Alice were doing during recess. Alice was easy to spot. She was sitting with Lauren Mallory, no doubt discussing anything and everything about fashion. I didn't really like Lauren, but I guess someone had to be her friend.

I looked around for Edward, and saw him playing soccer with Jasper Hale. They played rough, and were always talking and laughing. I bet he missed playing sports since he has a super klutzy best friend.

Already, Edward had made a best friend, and I wondered how long it would be until he totally forgot about me.

* * *

"Did you guys see Tyler? He was almost touching me! I could've gotten cooties!" Alice grumbled.

Carlisle was driving us all home from school, and we were having fun complaining about our seat partners.

"Why did you really step on Mike's toe, Bella?" Edward asked me.

I blushed and looked down. "He was calling you a know it all, and he said he felt bad for Jessica for having to sit next to you," I mumbled.

"You shouldn't of done that, Bella! You could've gotten in huge trouble!" Edward said.

"You kicked that big kid for being mean to me!" I said angrily.

"That wasn't in front of the teacher!"

"That is so unfair!"

"Is not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP!! YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEAD ACHE!" Alice screamed.

I blushed and looked down, suddenly ashamed. "Sorry," I mumbled to Edward.

"S'okay," he said. "I'm sorry too."

We pulled up my long driveway, and I hopped out. "Bye!" I called.

I ran up into my room and slammed the door. Edward and I never faught! What was wrong? I curled up into a ball on my bed and just laid there. For some reason, I felt that this was all Jasper's fault. Edward said he wouldn't find someone cooler than me, but he already did. How much longer until I was all alone?

* * *

**What did you think? I hope you liked it, and if you didn't, tell me too!**

**I wanna make this story good, and it would really help if some very nice people would pretty please review! Please!**

**Just FYI, if you end up liking this story for some crazy reason... I sometimes only update once a week. For all you people who want daily updates, sure I'll try, but it would probably never happen.**

**But if you think this is a good story, one chapter a week would totally rock right?**

**So yeah... enough of my rambling... Please click on that little purple/blue button and review!**

**BellaChristopher**


	2. Age 6

Do I own Edward, Bella, and the rest of the Twilight gang? I wish! Do I own applesauce? I might... o wait! I just ate the last little cuppie thing. Bummer!!

Whoot! Chapter two is finally up!

Sorry it took so long, but ya know... I happen to have a life :P LOL

But really I had a family reunion, and today is my mom's birthday... or well yesterday since it's past midnight. Yeah, that's how much I love you guys! I stay up past midnight so you don't have to wait an extra day. You little lucky ducks! LOL.

So, what will you do in return? Well... (smiles evilly) You could read my story and review, cause it would be very kind of you :D... but ya know... just if you wanna... not gonna force nuttin.

So... enough of my stupid rambling... time for chapter two of, DUM DUM DUM DUM! THE REASON!

You- APPLAUSE! CHEERS! APPLAUSE! CHEERS! APPLESAUCE! YUM!

Me- Bows gratefully(hmm did I spell that right?)

Anywho, to all of you who read my stupid authors note, I'm done!

BellaChristopher

* * *

"C'mon, Bella!" Edward called from inside their Escalade. "We don't wanna be late!"

I raced forward, waving to my parents over my shoulder. I was almost to the car when I tripped.

Closing my eyes, I waited for impact, but it never came. I looked up to see Emmett laughing his head off and Edward holding me up. He smiled crookedly as I scrambled into the car. I blushed a deep crimson, only making Emmett laugh harder.

I slid in back between Alice and Jasper. "Hey, Bella," Alice said distractedly. She was looking out the window with worry in her eyes. I turned to Jasper and asked quietly. "Do ya know what's up?" He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes on Alice.

"Um… Alice?" I asked softly.

"Yeah?" she said, turning to face me.

"Er… I was just wondering what's up…" I said quietly.

She leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear, "I have a… feeling that something bad is going to happen today." Her eyes were wide with fear, and I understood why.

A couple months ago, Alice had sworn something bad was going to happen, and that night, Esme fell off a ladder when she was painting the Cullen's house. She ended up with a concussion and a broken foot.

I was the only one who Alice had ever told, cause she trusted me. I haven't even told Edward! Her biggest fear is that people would find out and think she was crazy. Even though we were only in first grade, Alice was already worrying about her "reputation".

"I'm sure it's gonna be okay," I assured her quietly. "I mean, there're no ladders at soccer games so…" I grinned.

Alice stuck her tongue out at me to hide the fact that she didn't believe me. I knew she didn't… I was an awful liar so what was the point? But then she noticed my outfit. A major uh oh on Alice's what not to wear list. I swear, she's gonna be the next Stacie London. She opened her mouth to insult my jeans and sweatshirt outfit, but I put a finger to her mouth. "Don't start," I begged. She let it go… for now, and turned to talk to Jasper.

Jasper and Edward were best buddies, but Edward hasn't forgotten me… yet.

We pulled into the parking lot next to the field where Edward and Jasper were going to have their soccer game. We scrambled out of the car, wanting to get good seats. We found spots on the front row of the bleachers and sat down to wait for the game to begin.

Edward and Jasper ran onto the field to practice shooting on their goalie. Tyler was a pretty good goalie, but he could never save Edward's shots.

Mr. and Mrs. Hale and Rosalie, Jasper's twin sister, arrived only a few minutes after us. "Hi!" Alice and I chirped. Alice was still a little shaken about her feeling, but she was more composed now.

Rose went to sit down next to us, when Emmett shouted, "Hey!" We turned to look at him, and I wondered why he was sitting a row behind us. "I saved ya a seat, Rosie," he said, patting the bench area next to him.

Rose rolled her eyes, but went to sit next to Emmett anyway. A triumphant grin lit up his face as she sat next to him. Stretching, he put his arm over her shoulder, and Rose left it there.

"Ewww!" Alice and I moaned. We looked away from them and back to the game which had started.

Edward had the ball and was dribbling toward the other team's goal. He was about to shoot when a big kid with black hair ran over and shoved him down.

"FOUL!" Emmett screamed.

I stared wide eyed at Alice. Her expression mirrored mine. "It's gonna be Edward, isn't it?" I said quietly.

Alice nodded. She was about to fall apart, and I needed to get her out of here. I was no good with diversions… what the heck should I do? And then it hit me.

"Um… Carlisle?" I said quietly.

"Yes, Bella?" he said, turning his attention away from the game.

"Er… I have to go to the, er, bathroom," I said.

"Oh, it's right over there," Carlisle said, pointing to a small brick building to our right.

"I don't see it," I said, squinting my eyes. I stepped lightly on Alice's foot, hoping desperately that she'd get the hint.

"I can show you, Bella!" Alice said in her usual happy voice. If I didn't know something was up, I wouldn't be able to notice the slightly dead sound of her voice. "C'mon," she said, tugging me toward the bathroom.

"Alice, you gotta pull yourself together!" I whisper-shouted once we got into the bathroom.

"I know!" she moaned. "If Edward gets hurt, it's gonna be all my fault!" She slumped down on the ground, not caring that it wrinkled her designer dress. Not very Alice-like behavior.

I sat down next to her and gave her a gentle hug. "C'mon, Alice. We should probably get back out there." I stood up and walked to the door, but when I didn't hear Alice's light step behind me, I turned back.

She was still sitting in the corner, but she was having some sort of panic attack. Her eyes were unfocused… distant… almost as if she wasn't even here. She was shaking convulsively, and her breath was coming in quick short gasps. "Alice?" I shouted. I raced to her side and shook her, which was really no help since she was already shaking. Just my luck, the bathroom was completely empty.

I ran through options in my head…

Option one- I could slap Alice like they sometimes did in TV… who knew if it really worked, but it could be worth a try.

Option two- I run outside and leave Alice alone… having her weird panic attack… so I can go get Carlisle.

Option three- I sit here like an idiot next to my best friend and wait for some stranger to come in to help us.

Option one wasn't very appealing, but after thinking a bit, I realized it was probably the best thing I have. So, I drew my hand back, and slapped Alice across the face.

She jolted, ansd her eyes focused, and the shaking stopped. "It's happened," she murmured. "I didn't stop… I couldn't…"

I held her close and shushed her every so often, but her words frightened me. _It's happened_… what was that supposed to mean? Did Edward get hurt? If he did, why were we sitting in a bathroom instead of helping him?

"Alice… if… if it's happened, we have to get out there." She nodded, and stood up shakily.

"Gimme a sec please," she asked. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, you couldn't tell that there was utter turmoil raging inside her head. Huh… I'd have to ask her how to do that for future reference. But right now there was a more important thing. And that was being there for my best friend.

We raced out of the bathroom and to our seats to see the both the teams, the coaches, and Carlisle circled around an area next to the other team's goal.

"What happened!?" I asked Emmett, feigning surprise. Even though I knew what was going to happen, it hit me like a punch in the gut. Ouch.

Emmett eyes were murderous as he answered me. "That big kid from earlier slid into Edward's legs, knocking him down. Edward threw his hand out to catch his fall, and the kid rolled full force into him. That kid is like the human King Kong- even Edward wasn't tough enough to withstand his power." Emmett shook his head disgustedly. "Anyway, you could hear this real sick snap, and could see Edward's arm…" he trailed off, an involuntary shiver running down his spine.

My breath caught in my throat, and I became completely still. "BELLA!" Alice shouted. She shocked me out of my trance. I sucked in a breath of air, relief washing over my lungs. Looks like I'd forgotten to breathe again.

"I-is he gonna be okay?" I stuttered to Emmett.

He nodded and patted my head softly. That was odd for Emmett to be reassuring someone. I must really look like I'm flipping out. "Dad's out there checking him out, and ya know Dad, best doctor in the whole state of Washington. Look, here they come!"

I hopped up, and stood on tiptoe to try to catch a glimpse of my friend. I saw him. He was curled into Carlisle's chest, his body shaking with silent sobs. He was cradling his arm, and whimpered whenever it was jostled.

"Get in the car kids," Carlisle commanded. We all stumbled in our haste to get to the car, me especially. I could tell Edward was in pain; he never ever cried. When he saw me staring at him, he smiled crookedly for an instant before it was replaced with a grimace.

Worry gripped me, as we sat in the car. This time I sat in the bucket seat next to Edward so I could hold his uninjured hand. He squeezed so hard that I sometimes thought that he broke a bone.

As we pulled into the hospital parking lot, I gripped Edward's hand tighter, not wanting to let him go for a minute. He was my life-vest; he was the only thing that was keeping me from drowning in my lake of despair. I know it's dramatic, but it's true!

When I had to let his hand go, it felt like part of me left with him, if that makes sense.

I knew that I would never be whole without Edward there, and I wondered… was our friendship turning into something more for me? I'd never thought of Edward as one of those people who I'd be crushing on, but that's almost what it seemed like. I brushed that thought to the side. There was no point in hoping when Edward obviously didn't like me back. Who would?

* * *

One month later

"Drat," Edward grumbled as he dropped his spoon once again.

"I really don't understand why you can't just use your left hand for holding your eating instruments," I grumbled as I picked his spoon up for him… again.

"Because, one, it's fun to watch you pick it up for me, and two, I love a good challenge." He grinned crookedly at me. I bit my lip to keep from smiling, but my will power didn't last long. Soon I was grinning with him.

Just to be a smarty, he dropped his spoon again. "Oops!" he said looking at me with fake apology in his eyes. I picked up the spoon and deliberately knocked it on his green cast. "Oops!" I mimicked.

I had signed his cast five times. Jessica Stanley had signed it four times, and Edward had begged me to up that number to five. Okay, well he didn't really say that. I just couldn't stand to be beat by Jessica. Not at all good for my already very small ego.

He dropped his spoon with a clatter again. "You know what, why don't I just feed you," I suggested.

"Okay," he said, opening his mouth wide. I shoved a massive scoop of ice cream into his mouth, purposefully getting some on his cheeks. He frowned. "It's on!" He grabbed a handful of ice cream with his good hand and shoved it in my face. Soon, we were having a full blown ice cream fight. I had a major advantage since I had two good hands, or else Edward would've been winning.

We heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and I looked at Edward. His face was full of fear and shock, as was mine, but when we saw each other covered in ice cream, we cracked up. I fell off my stool and landed with an oomph on the ice cream covered wood floors. Edward laughed even harder, and I pulled him onto the ground with me.

In a matter of seconds, we were rolling around on the ice cream covered ground.

Then Esme walked in.

* * *

To say the least, we were in major trouble. I was banned from Edward's house for a week, as he was banned from mine. If it wasn't for school, I probably would've gone crazy.

Life without Edward was tough, and I had trouble not being able to hang out with him. It was like taking candy away from a baby- terribly cruel. We were allowed to call each other, so every night before bed, I would call him. We would talk for at least a half an hour, about everything and anything. As I laid down in my bed to sleep, I replayed our whole conversation in my head. I was in my happy place.

* * *

Haha... happy place :D Just had to throw that in :P I know, I'm naughty.

So... how'd you like it? If you did like it that is... it's okay if you didn't really. I just wanna have your opinion so I can be a better author. Too cheesy? Ok... I won't do that again... sorry guys.

Thanks oodles to all those people who read and REVIEWED my story. It means so much to me. Oh wait... I'm getting cheesy again... Drat! LOL.

Oh, I accept anonymous reviews, so none of you have a reason not to review. Muahahah! LOL. Seriously. I spent like... five hours on this so if you could pretty please with an Edward on top(or Jacob if you prefer) review!! Go! Do it! Now!

BellaChristopher


	3. Age 8

**Hello my marvelous readers (who have been oh so kind and reviewed!)**

**I'm so sorry for the long wait! I was having a major writers block! I'm uber duper sorry! : ( Please forgive your irresponsible author! She didn't mean any harm!**

**Anywho, to make up for my lack of work, I wrote my longest chapter ever- EIGHT PAGES! applause applause. Thank you thank you. And to all you big shot authors who easily write chapters that are ten pages long, please don't comment on my happiness of using eight pages.**

**Now, if you haven't already skipped my boring author's note, onto the story!**

**BellaChristopher**

"Bella, could you come down here please?" Charlie called from downstairs. I shot Alice an apologetic glance, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't worry bout me!" she said, waving her hand. She sat cross-legged on my bed, wearing a jean skirt, brown leggings, and a pink blouse. I was dressed in my usual of sweats and a tee, and frankly, I liked it that way.

"I'll be back soon!" I promised.

She pulled out her little pink iPod and waved it in the air. She had just gotten it for her birthday a month ago, and she's already spent fifty dollars on music! "I'll be fine Bella, yeesh!"

I laughed, and skipped down the stairs. My ungraceful side decided that it wanted to play a part in today's events, so I ended up tripping over the last step. Luckily, Daddy was ready, and he caught me easily. I heard a chuckle from the other side of the room and looked down, embarrassed. Why was I only klutzy when other people were around?

"Billy, Jacob, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Bella, and my wife, Renee," Daddy introduced.

I heard Mommy say, "Hello," timidly from somewhere next to Daddy.

"Bella, this is Mr. Black-"

"Please, call me Billy," an old, gravelly voice said.

Charlie chuckled. "Okay. Bella, this is Billy and Jacob."

"Mr. Black to her!" a young voice exclaimed from the other side of the room. Billy and Daddy laughed, their low laughs contrasting with the slightly higher ones coming from Mommy and Jacob.

I chanced a quick glance up at the new arrivals. I almost gasped when I saw Billy. He was sitting in a wheelchair with graying black hair. He looked so frail, and I had a hard time pairing the deep voice and laugh with his weak looking body.

I moved my eyes to the boy standing in the corner. His long sleek black hair hung to his shoulders, and his dark eyes sparkled with amusement. His skin was a beautiful russet color, and even though we are young, he was already very muscular.

I suddenly wished that I wasn't wearing these ugly old sweats and faded blue tee, in fact, I hated them! I wished I was dressed more like Alice, and I was annoyed that some boy would make me feel this way. I don't even know him for Pete's sake!

"Naw, just Jacob'll do," he said after the laughter subsided. He took a step forward to shake my hand, and I almost didn't. My insides were warring. Part of me wanted to see what his beautiful russet skin felt like, while the other part could care less!

I extended my arm, and shook his hand for as short a time as possible. His skin was silky smooth, and slightly warmer than most other peoples'.

"What, no hello for me?" he said with fake shock. "Ouch. A bit harsh, isn't it, considering you just met me." He scowled angrily in my direction, and I had to laugh.

"Fine! I'm Bella," I caved. He smiled broadly, and I was just about to ask him something, when I thought of Alice, alone in my room.

"I really have to go!" I exclaimed.

"Bella, that's very rude!" Mommy chided.

"Alice's waiting for me!" I explained.

"Well… couldn't I go meet her?" Jake asked. "I mean, I wanna meet new people since I'm new here and know no one."

I sighed. I knew Alice wouldn't care, stupid social butterfly, but I did. Just thinking about the scolding I'd get from her for not introducing her made me change my mind. "Fine," I grumbled, leading him up the stairs and into my room.

Alice was lounging on my bed, listening to her music, but she popped up right away when we walked in. "Hey!" she said, tossing her iPod down. "I'm Alice," she grinned.

"Jacob," he said shyly, which was odd… I mean even though I've only known him for five minutes, he seems very outgoing and not the least bit shy.

"Are you new here?" Alice asked curiously, even though she already knew the answer. She knew, or had at least heard of, every person who lives in Forks.

"Um… yeah," he mumbled. "We just moved in down the block."

"Ooh! We live down the block too!" Alice squealed. Jacob took an involuntary step back, and I sniggered at the fact that he was frightened of Alice. He glared at me, and I stopped laughing. If looks could kill…

"How old are ya?" Alice asked eagerly. I knew she was looking for a new playmate for Edward, cause they both have the same best friends- me and Jasper.

"I'm eight."

"Me too! And Bella, and my brother, Edward!" she exclaimed. "I betcha you and Edward will be best friends!"

"Sure, sure," he said, shooting me an anxious glance.

"Well… I'd better go. Let you to talk." Alice grinned evilly at me as she walked out the door. "Biya Bella!" she called.

"Bye Alice!"

Jacob broke into hysterical laughter, and collapsed on the ground. "Is… she always… like… that?" he gasped.

"Yeah, she's always so happy. That's why she's my best friend… well one of them anyway."

"Sorry Bells, but your best friend is a freak!" he laughed.

"Jacob!" Billy called from downstairs. "Time to go!"

Jake groaned, and his face was creased with worry.

"What's wrong Jake?" I asked softly. For some reason, seeing him hurt hurt me too.

"I-I… I'll see you again, right?" he asked quietly, looking at the ground. Whoa. I didn't see that one coming. I mean, he seems so nice… why wouldn't I want to hang out with him?

"Right?" he asked again, his voice shooting up an octave. Shoot. I can't believe I forgot to answer. His eyes shot up to mine, and they were filled with such intense pain, that I had no choice but to say yes.

"Of course, Jake."

He sighed in relief, all the worry washing away. "Cool!" he grinned. "See ya later Bells!" he said, giving me a hug.

"B-bye!" I stuttered a moment too late, in a high voice that was nothing like my own. He hugged me! The only person who I've ever hugged besides Mommy and Daddy is Edward! Hugging Jacob felt weird… different… wrong. But I put away my worries quickly. Jacob was so nice, and fun… he would make a great friend.

And I knew, deep down, that we would be seeing a lot more of each other.

EPOV

"Hey, Charlie. It's Edward. Is Bella-"

"Sorry Edward. She's still out," Charlie said in a voice that sounded apologetic. But I knew that he was annoyed that I had been calling so much. And I did feel bad, truly I did, but I missed Bella so much.

"Oh… okay then… you'll tell her I called, won't you?" I asked nervously. I don't know how much longer Charlie will put up with me calling, and I'm nervous that he'll say no, I won't give her your message, now stop calling us! Lucky me today was not that day.

"Yeah, of course Edward. See ya later."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone with a frown. Bella and I hadn't even talked to each other for the past week. Before, we would hang out every day. But for some reason, we didn't anymore. She wasn't returning my calls, even though I've been calling twice a day for the past week.

Trudging up to my room, I tried to figure out why she wasn't talking to me. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't come up with an answer.

I slammed my door, and blasted my music, hoping it would keep my mind occupied. I needed some heavy metal, not Clair De Lune. I turned it off, and walked over to my bookshelf. Picking a book at random, I flipped through the pages, and chucked it at the wall as soon as I realized that the main character's name was Belle.

Grabbing a pillow, I shoved it to my face, and screamed all, well most, of my frustration out. My parents were starting to worry about me, and I couldn't blame them. I was a lifeless shell without Bella. I haven't even left the house since she's stopped talking to me.

There was a knock at my door, and before I could tell them to leave, Alice walked in.

She was just as empty as I was without Bella, especially since Jasper was on vacation. "Hey," she mumbled, coming to sit next to me on my bed. If she didn't look so pathetic, I would've kicked her out; I wanted to wallow, not talk about my feelings.

"Hi."

We sat in silence, and my mind began to wander, thinking about nothing particular, just how I was going to live another day without the beautiful, brown eyed girl who's my best friend.

"Stupid Jacob Black!" Alice exploded, making me jump up. "He moves to Forks, and thinks that he can just steal my best friend!" I could hear a note of hysteria slipping into her voice, and I wondered how long she'd been holding all of this in. "I HATE HIM!" she screamed, breaking into sobs. She put her spiky haired head in my lap, and I patted her absentmindedly on the back.

Bella was ignoring Alice and I, the friends she's had since preschool, for some new kid? Anger and jealousy surged through me. How could she do this to us? I bet if she saw Alice crying like this over her, she'd stop ignoring us. And if I ever get the pleasure of seeing that Jacob Black…

My thought was cut short with Alice's yelp of pain. "O-o-ouch E-Edward. T-t-that really h-hurt!" she hiccupped.

I stood up, ignoring the muffled oomph Alice made as she fell on the floor, and stormed out of my room. "W-w-where are y-you g-going?" Alice asked.

"To talk to Bella."

BPOV

I was walking back from Jacob's house feeling lighter than air. Jacob was a great friend, and we've been hanging out every day for the past week. My thoughts veered away from Jacob, and I felt heavy as a stone. I hadn't seen or talked to Edward or Alice for the past week. I missed them so much, but as soon as I heard Jacob, I just had to go see him. He's like my sun, lighting up my dark days.

I put my hand in my pocket as I walked down the driveway, preparing to open the door, when suddenly there was someone next to me. I screamed in fear, and then when I saw who it was, I screamed in happiness. "Edward!" I squealed in a very Alice-esque way. I threw myself at him and we stood there hugging each other for a moment, until Edward said something.

"Why have you been ignoring us Bella?" he asked quietly.

I looked up at him and dropped my arms away from his waist. What? Ignoring them? He was the one who wasn't calling me! I've been asking Charlie every day if Edward or Alice called, and every time he's said no. "What do you mean ignoring you? I-" He didn't even let me finish before he cut in.

"Bella, I've been calling you twice a day for the past week! Alice was calling once a day, but she stopped after the first couple of times. She thinks that you've left us… that you don't like us anymore!" he shouted. What? How could Alice ever think that? After everything we've done together…

"Edward-" Once again he cut me off. What was wrong with him?

"Bella, she was sobbing today! Sobbing! She hasn't talked or left the house, or even smiled, Bella!" Alice never ever cried. I felt tears springing to my eyes at the thought of what I had done to my best friends.

"R-really?" I whispered. "I-I didn't know, honest! Daddy hasn't said anyone's called. I asked him every day after I come home from Jacob's-"

"Oh, is Jacob you new best friend now, Bella? Is he? Are you replacing the friends you've had since you were born, with some new boy who happens to live down the street?" There is no way that he could possibly think that I was replacing him with Jacob. Jacob was great, but he was nothing compared to Edward!

"No!" I shouted angrily. "Edward, you are my best friend got it? You!" I said, poking him in the middle of the chest.

"Ignoring me is an odd way to show it…" he grumbled angrily. "You know what Bella, I don't even know why I came. You obviously don't wanna be my friend anymore, so why should I even bother?" He said this with so much venom in his voice that I was shocked. Edward had never yelled at me, and now we were having a huge argument? One tear fell, followed by torrents of others. I looked up, trying to find him, only to see him walking away from me.

I sobbed. He was leaving. All because I was stupid, and had tried to add a new friend into my life.

He whipped around and looked at me, his green eyes filled with worry. I sobbed again, and fell with little grace to the ground, not knowing how much longer I could stand. I curled up into a ball, and continued sobbing, rocking gently back and forth. Why, why, why?

I heard Edward sit down next to me. He hesitated for a second, and then I felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me into his chest. They were like a life vest, holding me up as I was drowning in pain. "I'm s-s-sorry, Edward!" I sobbed as I uncurled myself. I threw my arms around his neck, and held as tight as I could. I never wanted to let go, and I don't think I ever would've, if I hadn't thought of something I had to say.

"H-he hugged m-m-me," I stuttered. I felt him freeze underneath me. He went to stand up, but I tightened my already vice like grip. "D-d-don't go… p-p-please!" I begged. I don't think I could last if he was gone again. It was too soon.

"I won't," he promised. We sat there for the longest time, just holding each other, not even talking. It was times like these that I missed when I was away from him, and I knew I would never make that mistake again.

EPOV

As soon as I was out the door, I ran. Running usually put my worries and fears behind me, but not today. Today, I had to see Bella, to ask her to come back.

If everything went well, she would dump this Jacob kid and come back to us. If it didn't go well… I don't even wanna think about it.

Bella only lives about a half a mile away, so it only took me about four minutes. I knew that Bella probably wasn't home, so I hid behind a tree a little back from the clearing where her house was built.

Waiting was pure agony for me. All I could think about was all the possible ways that Bella could say that she didn't want to be my friend. And there were more of those than seemed humanly possible.

Finally, I saw her small form walking forward down her long driveway. When she neared me, I popped out of the forest, and she screamed. As soon as she noticed that it was me, she screamed again. "Edward!" she shouted, throwing herself at me for a hug. I willingly complied, and almost lost the reason that I was here.

I cut right to the chase, not even wanting to say hello. "Why have you been ignoring us Bella?" I asked quietly. She looked up with her arms still around my waist. She dropped them down, and looked at me with questions in her eyes.

"What do you mean ignoring you? I-"

"Bella, I've been calling you twice a day for the past week! Alice was calling once a day, but she stopped after the first couple of times. She thinks that you've left us… that you don't like us anymore!" I exclaimed angrily.

"Edward-"

"Bella, she was sobbing today! Sobbing! She hasn't talked or left the house, or even smiled, Bella!" I wasn't only talking about Alice now, but I didn't want her to see how weak I was without her if this truly was the end.

"R-really?" she whispered with tears in her eyes. "I-I didn't know, honest! Daddy hasn't said anyone's called. I asked him every day after I come home from Jacob's-"

"Oh, is Jacob you new best friend now, Bella? Is he? Are you replacing the friends you've had since you were born, with some new boy who happens to live down the street?"

"No!" she shouted angrily. "Edward, you are my best friend got it? You!" she said, poking me in the chest.

"Ignoring me is an odd way to show it…" I grumbled. "You know what Bella, I don't even know why I came. You obviously don't wanna be my friend anymore, so why should I even bother?" I began to walk away when I heard her sob behind me.

I whipped around before I had time to tell myself not to. Tears were flowing steadily down her cheeks, and her eyes were so hurt, I couldn't bear it. She let out a broken sob, and plopped ungracefully down onto the ground. Curling herself into a ball, she continued to sob, and I felt like I was being ripped in two. Let her suffer! the awful part of me screamed. Let her feel what you've felt like for the past week! But the noble part of me said, Why would you ever do that to your best friend, no matter what they've done to you?

I sat down next to her, and hugged her small, curled up body into my chest. "I'm s-s-sorry, Edward!" she wailed, as she uncurled herself. She threw her arms around my neck, and clung to me so tight, I thought I might suffocate. But I didn't care, because I had my angel in my arms.

The next thing she said brought me out of my happy bliss. "H-he hugged m-m-me," she stuttered. I immediately froze. Jacob hugged her? I moved to stand up, to go and show that kid why he shouldn't hug my Bella, when her grip tightened around my neck. "D-d-don't go… p-p-please!" she said in a small voice.

"I won't," I promised. I wouldn't leave her for anything in the world.

**So... whatcha guys think? Please tell me! I'm begging for you to review! : ) Maybe I'll give you a present!! : O Well... probably not, but you can hope right?**

**Thanks to Vampire Kisses 4 Me (you know who you are!) for reminding me that we need the Quileute group in the story! Cheers to her!**

**I know I skipped a year, and that is because a) I thought this was too dramatic for seven year olds (and if you say it's too dramatic for eight year olds too... let's just say you didn't see my elementary school) and b) my writers block couldn't think of anything that seven year olds do. : P Drat writers blocks! **

**If you would all be so kind, I would love to hear what you have to say about my story it's important so I can know what to do to make it better. I also accept anonymous reviews so no one has an excuse as to why they can't review! Muahahaha! :) evil grin. **

**BellaChristopher**


	4. Age 9

**Hey everyone!**

**If you guys aren't totally fed up with me for taking such a long time to update, and you still enjoy this story, I'm glad! The more of you the merrier!**

**And Eh Ma Cullen! Some people are actually reviewing! OoOoOoO! I'm so freaking happy! Seeing all the five reviews I get for a chapter, make me so damn happy, I just don't know how to thank you all enuff! So I'm just gonna try not to take over a month to update. Sorry since that's uber long, but I'll probably start doing weekly updates again... I hope :)**

**So... go and read, and enjoy! **

**BellaChristopher**

BPOV

I stood on the soft sand that covered the beach as I overlooked the ocean. Fluffy, white clouds dotted the baby blue sky, and the brisk wind bombarded me from all directions. For once, it was sunny outside, not a raincloud in sight. The beach was bursting with energy. Everywhere I looked, there were people "tanning", they wouldn't get _that_ much color, or children playing.

Taking a deep breath, I took a cautious step forward into the crashing waves. The water swirled around my ankles, and I couldn't feel anything from that point down.

That's the thing about trying to swim somewhere this far north; the water was freezing. Even though the sun was shining down on us, the water was still probably only fifty or sixty degrees. I shivered. The wind bit at my skin, and if it wasn't for the person standing next to me, I wouldn't be caught dead here.

Edward stood, still as a statue next to me. He turned his face toward me, his brilliant emerald eyes meeting my dull, brown ones. He smiled crookedly, and then, with a deep breath, he threw himself into the water with Emmett-worthy force. A funnel of water shot into the air, most of it smacking me in the face. Edward laughed, and began swimming farther away. "Where're you going?" I whined. "Wait for me!"

"You gotta catch me first!" he exclaimed swimming even farther out.

"There's no way I'm gonna get into this water willingly!" I shouted out to him.

"I guess I'm gonna have to help you then," a voice said from behind me. They shoved me, hard, and I flew, face first into the icy water. I spluttered as I came up for air. Booming laughter echoed from somewhere on the beach. I opened my eyes to see Emmett, practically bawling, he was laughing so hard.

My lower lip jutted out. Why did he always pick on me? I was already clumsy, slow, un-athletic, and ugly. Why torture someone more?

Then I saw a sight that made me laugh. Little Alice was tip toeing toward Emmett, and he had absolutely no idea. Her stormy blue eyes met mine, and she pleaded with me to be quiet. I did one up- I tried to make Emmett laugh harder.

I stood up, and began to walk back to the beach. I scowled angrily at him. "Ooh! You gonna hurt me? Bring it on!" He held up his fists and began swinging them around, boxer style. I nodding slightly, trying to tell Alice that now would be the time to knock Emmett in.

An evil grin spread across her face as she threw herself forward into Emmett. He was unbalanced from his little fist waving, so Alice had no problem knocking him down. She shoved his face in the sand, but she didn't hold onto his head long enough to drown him… sadly.

When his head came up, he was absolutely covered in sand. Alice, Edward and I all busted up. He looked so stupid. "I'm gonna kill you Bella!" he roared, stumbling blindly toward me. I knew he was joking, or at least I think he is. I screamed, which was stupid, cause now he knows where to swim.

See I can swim okay, but not fast. Emmett however, could probably beat Michael Phelps in a race. Trust me. Maybe since he couldn't see, I would be able to beat him. I looked over my shoulder and saw him swimming full speed toward me. Okay then, never mind that.

Edward must've seen something in Emmett that I missed, because he started swimming super speed toward us. There was no way that he'd get to me before Emmett did; Edward was at least one hundred feet away, and Emmett was only twenty feet at tops.

"Bella, you gotta swim!" Edward shouted. I obliged, and began to swim with full snail speed out deeper.

Emmett was about to grab me, when a giant ball of sand hit him in the back of the head. Then another, and another. I looked behind him to see Alice, chucking well packed balls of sand at Emmett's head. I picked up the pace, and swam faster, up to turtle speed.

Edward came out of no where and began punching Emmett. Emmett simply picked Edward up, and threw him five feet away. Edward was back in an instant, hitting and kicking, biting and scratching.

Emmett definitely had the strength advantage, but Edward had speed on his side. He was able to dart in and punch Emmett and get back out again before Emmett could even take a swipe at him.

I started giggling, then laughing. Pretty soon I was cracking up. Watching Emmett and Edward water-wrestle was hilarious. I took a step backwards, and suddenly, there wasn't ground under my foot.

With a frightened yelp, I dropped down like a stone into the deep water. I had almost no air left in my lungs, and I couldn't tell which way was up or down.

I kicked feebly, but instead of helping myself, I made my situation worse. I got caught in a current that buffeted me around like a rag doll.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape the powerful pull of the water. I was getting flipped around, and I could do absolutely nothing about it.

My lungs were screaming with agony, wanting me to take a breath of air. I couldn't. If I tried to breathe down here, I would die. And, frankly, I didn't want to die.

My head began to pound from lack of oxygen, and I couldn't think straight. The water wasn't freezing anymore, and the current wasn't rough. It felt like being nudged around in a bathtub. Warm water, gentle waves; gosh it felt good.

My howling lungs ruined my moment of bliss. I was losing control. Any second now, my mouth would open, but instead of being met with air, it will be met with water.

A new current caught me in the stomach, and the little air I had whooshed out of my lungs. I gulped, trying to satisfy the need for air. Cold water flew down my throat, and I couldn't feel anything.

Then it all went black.

EPOV

I was wrestling with Emmett, trying to keep him from getting to Bella, from doing that maniacal thing that he was planning on doing to her. Who knows what evil thing he was going to do, not even I knew, but I did know that it would harm her. You never want to see that evil glint in Emmett's eyes. It can never be good.

I heard Bella giggling from behind us, and I got distracted. Did my swim trunks fall down? Or was she just enjoying our little fight?

Emmett took advantage of my distraction, and dunked my head under water. He held it there as I squirmed and flailed, and I was unsure if he was ever going to let me up. So I did a desperate thing- I kicked him where it hurts.

He jumped back, and I was free to come up for air. Emmett was crouched down, holding his crotch. I busted up. Emmett's eyes met mine, and they held no humor. "You better run, Runt," he hissed.

Anger exploded inside me. "I'M NOT A RUNT!" I screamed. Just because he was so big and muscular, didn't mean I wasn't.

I threw myself at Emmett, and our fight continued.

We were broken up by Alice's shriek of terror. We stepped apart immediately and turned wary eyes toward her. Alice didn't freak out for no reason. Except for when Emmett spilled root beer on her white cashmere sweater, but that doesn't really count.

"Where's Bella?" she asked, her eyes wide. I looked behind us to where Bella used to be, but was met with nothing, just the blue water and icy waves.

"Bella?" I whispered. "BELLA!" I raced toward where I last saw her, and ran straight off a cliff. I treaded water, and looked down into the depths, trying to find her.

A piece of plastic whizzed past my ear, and I caught it instinctively. Emmett stood on the shore next to our bag. "PUT 'EM ON AND GO SAVE HER, DUMMY!" he shouted from the shore. But I was way ahead of him. The goggles were already around my head, and I took a deep breath.

Diving down into the depths of the water, I began my search for Bella. I swam in circles, searching for her in vain.

Suddenly, a sparkle caught my eye. I turned toward it, and saw Bella's sequence swimsuit.

With a burst of energy I didn't know I had, I swam down, and grabbed her around the stomach. Kicking hard, I propelled us toward the surface. Bella was limp in my arms, and that couldn't be a good thing.

My head broke the surface, and I lifted her up. Emmett was waiting for me, and grabbed her from my arms. Running, he took her to shore. Dad was there, waiting with a towel spread out.

He laid her down gently, and Dad began CPR.

Please God, don't let her die.

"Edward! Come help!" Alice shrieked from shore.

I ran in a zombie-like trance toward the shore. Before I knew it, I was standing over Bella. Dad was doing CPR, and whenever he pulled up, I could see her purple lips and white skin.

"She's not gonna die, is she Dad?" I asked quietly. Tears were pooling in my eyes, and I wiped them away hastily not wanting to look weak in front of Emmett, Alice, and Dad. Or Bella, if she was somehow awake.

He looked up into my eyes. His brown eyes were flat, dull. "I don't know, son," he said in a monotone. Then he turned his attention back to my best friend.

I closed my eyes, trying to escape all the pain. But two words kept running circles around my head- my fault.

BPOV

Warm lips pushed against mine, shoving cool air down my throat. It got caught, not making it to my shriveled lungs. Pounding on my chest made my cough. And once I started, I couldn't stop. I coughed and coughed, and I could feel water stirring in my throat. Someone propped me up, and patted me on the back as I coughed and wheezed.

Soon, the water was gone from my lungs, and I collapsed, exhausted, against whoever was holding me. Someone began to sob, and I couldn't tell if it was with joy or sadness.

"I-is she gonna be okay Dad?" I heard someone ask softly. I tried to make my eyes open, but they refused to listen. I decided that it would be easier if I just laid still. Who knew drowning took so much out of you.

"She'll be alright, Edward, but I need to get to the hospital now. I'll drop you all off at Bella's house. Emmett, you'll be in charge, Alice you keep an eye on Bella-"

"I'll keep an eye on her!" Edward volunteered.

"Fine." Whoever I was leaning against scooped me up, and before we made it to our destination, I was asleep.

My eyes fluttered open groggily. I rolled over, trying to find out where I was, and fell off the couch. "Ow!" I shouted. Instantly, I was surrounded by my best friends, one of which was laughing his head off.

"Fall off the couch Bella?" Emmett asked through his fit.

"Yes I did." Looking down, I realized I wasn't in my swimsuit anymore. "Who put me in pajamas?" I asked, confused.

Alice giggled daintily. "It was me, silly! Don'tcha remember?" she asked. "I thought you were awake." She shrugged. "Guess not!" Emmett and Alice both doubled over with laughter.

I looked up to my one friend who hadn't laughed. Edward was standing there, just grinning like an idiot. Well, he didn't look like an idiot, Edward never did. His grin just seemed impossibly large for his face. "You wanna get back on the couch?" he asked, still grinning.

I smiled too, and allowed him to help me back on the couch. I sat down with an oomph in the middle of the couch, and Alice and Edward sat down on either side of me. Emmett collapsed on the armchair, and we turned on Disney Channel. To Alice's disappointment, Hannah Montana was on.

"I don't know why everyone thinks she has such good style," Alice started grumbling. "I mean, she dresses like a total tramp! And… she doesn't even wear designer brands!" She said this like it was the worst thing anyone could ever do.

"Oh no!" Emmett squealed, trying to sound like Alice. "She's nawt wearing designer brands? How DARE she!" He put his hand over his heart like he truly couldn't believe this.

Alice chucked a pillow at his face, and pretty soon they were in an all out pillow war. Edward and I just sat on the couch. I laid my head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around my waist.

I smiled. What could ruin this moment?

The phone rang shrilly, and Emmett swatted Alice away. "I, being the authoritative figure, have to go answer the phone," he said in an I'm-too-good-for-you voice. "Childish pillow fights will haf to wait dahhh-ling," he said to Alice, batting his eyelashes. She smacked him with her pillow, and he raced into the kitchen. "No respect for elders anymore. Tsk, tsk. Shame, shame. How dare you!"

He picked up the phone just before it rang for the last time. "Hullo?... Oh hey Dad. Whatsup?... What?... Don't joke Dad, seriously…" He stood there in silence for a moment. "Uh, yeah okay… I'll tell 'em… Yeah… Kay… Bye."

"What is it?" Edward asked, standing up and making me fall.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Alice piped up.

Emmett pulled his hand through his hair, a habit he's picked up from Carlisle when he's nervous.

"Harry Clearwater… he had a heart attack," Emmett mumbled.

"But he's okay, right? I mean, Dad was working on him, so he had to be alright!" Edward said quickly.

Emmett shook his head. "'Member how he got that call?" Alice nodded her head. "That was the hospital paging him. He had to choose, and, well, you know his choice." All three heads turned my direction, and I blushed.

"Wait, what happened?" I asked. I hate feeling out of the loop, which is what I felt like right now.

"Here, lemme explain you two," Emmett volunteered. Edward and Alice returned to their positions next to me, both of them looking at my face, gauging my reaction.

"Ok, well, when you were drowning, Dad got an emergency call from the hospital," Emmett began. "They were calling to tell him that Harry Clearwater was having a heart attack, and they needed him there ASAP." Emmett took a deep breath, as if what he was saying was very painful.

"Breathe, Bella," Edward whispered in my ear. I hadn't even noticed that I was holding my breath. Breathing in shakily, I turned my eyes back to Emmett.

"Dad had to choose between saving you, or saving Harry. And, well… you know who he chose." They all looked down, acting preoccupied with something irrelevant.

My throat dried up, and I tried to swallow, but found it was impossible. As if she could read my thoughts, Alice appeared next to me with a glass of water. I took a hasty gulp, and sat, still and silent.

"Why couldn't another doctor take care of Harry? What about Dr. Gerandy?" I asked.

Emmett shook his head (was it in pity?), while Edward answered my question. "Dad's the head cardiologist, or heart doctor. Dr. Gerandy is the neurologist. He doesn't know hearts as well as Dad."

"If Dad were there, Harry-" Emmett began. He was cut off by a vicious glare from both Edward and Alice.

"So… what's going to happen now?" I asked softly after a moment of silence. Tears pooled in my eyes. Harry was like family to me, and it hurt to lose him. Alice wrapped her arms around me, and we hugged each other with such force, I'm surprised we didn't break any bones. We cried into each others shoulders for a ridiculously long time.

All too soon my eyes dried up. Sniffling, I turned over, and laid my head on Edward's lap. He ran his fingers soothingly through my hair.

"Dad said you should come spend the night tonight, Bella," Emmett said softly. It was weird hearing everyone so quiet, normally they were all full of energy. It was like someone sucked the happiness out of my house.

"Kay," I sniffled. "Alice, wanna come help me pack?" I asked, holding out my hand. She grabbed it, and followed me upstairs to my room. Nose and eyes running like a faucet, I grabbed random items of clothing, and tossed them to Alice, who then folded them and put them in my bag.

"Poor Seth," Alice said after we'd filled my bag.

I thought of the little boy who was so sweet and innocent. "It's not fair how such good people should have to go through so much pain," I mumbled angrily.

"I know, Bella," Alice agreed, hitching my bag up on her shoulder. "We might wanna get downstairs before Edward breaks down the door." She giggled for a second, but stopped when she remembered why we were here.

The next few months were hard, especially since Daddy and Mom weren't ever around. I basically lived at the Cullen's, and even though I'd wished for it before, I didn't want it now. Daddy and Mom were busy all the time taking care of Leah and Seth, and they didn't want me to bother them. So, I got carted off to the Cullen's.

I missed the way things were before, when life was simple, when life was easy. Now everything has been tossed up, and no one knows what to do, not even Carlisle. I've hardly even smiled, and I could tell I was worrying Daddy and Mom, but I couldn't do anything about it.

My friends tried everything they could to keep my mind off of Har- him, but I always found a way to connect everything to him. The only one who seemed to know how I feel, is Alice, cause her Mommy and Daddy died when she was three. Carlisle and Esme adopted her, and she's been a Cullen ever since.

I spend most of my time with Alice, and almost none of it with Edward, however surprising that may be. He always freaks out when I'm "too quiet" or "too mellow", making a stink, and telling Carlisle who'll tell Daddy, who'll tell Mommy, who'll freak out.

Things were all screwed up, but I know I can make it, if my friends and my family stay strong. And that's a fact.

**So... whaddid ya think? Good, bad, don't matter! Please review! I'd love to get TEN reviews for ONE chapter. That would make me squeal like a pig. It's a pretty funny sight, trust me. **

**I tried to make up for my lack of writing by making this longish! Hope you guyz like longish chapters, cuz that's what I'm gonna try to do now!**

**Oh, and FYI, the major drama is gonna be starting up like... next chapter... so be ready!**

**Pretty please review, and you all can cuz I accept anonymous reviews! Muahaha! Please review and make my day!**

**Love you all!**

**BellaChristopher**


	5. Age 10

**I've decided I'm not going to ramble at the beginning of chapters. Well… this one anyway. Heh. Enjoy! **

"Bye guys!" I called as I hopped out of the car. A chorus of byes met my ears, and I smiled involuntarily. My friends rock.

I walked with light, almost graceful, steps to the front door. When I was halfway up the walkway, a new sound hit my ears- yelling.

I froze. What was going on? Were Mommy and Daddy fighting? I pushed the questions to the back of my head. They weren't fighting; why would they be? Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to continue toward my house.

My clammy hand grasped the cold doorknob, and I turned it gently. The door creaked slightly, but Mommy and Daddy didn't notice since they were yelling so loud. Daddy banged his hand on the counter, and it felt like there was an earthquake rumbling the ground.

They were fighting! I gasped, and they both turned their heads toward me at the same time. My backpack dropped to the ground with a thunk. "Why are you fighting?" I asked in a surprisingly calm voice, but inside I was falling apart.

They exchanged a glance, then turned their attention back to me. "Bella, dear," Mommy began. "Your father and I were just discussing something, we weren't fighting. Right, honey?" Mommy turned to Daddy. It almost looked like she was begging him with her eyes to go along with it. No, that can't be.

"Of course, sweetie!" Daddy said. "Don't you worry; nothing bad is going on here." He held his arms wide, inviting me in for a hug. I ran toward him as quickly as I could without falling, and leapt into his arms.

Mommy and Daddy weren't fighting, phew! I liked things just the way they are. Harry's death had messed up our life, and I was extremely happy to get mine back. I missed being at my own house, with my own parents. Everything has been perfect for about a month, and I don't want it any other way.

Mommy sighed and went back into the kitchen. She must've wanted a hug too. She could've just asked. So as soon as Daddy put me down, I ran into the kitchen and gave Mommy the biggest hug I could. I looked up at her, expecting to see a bright smile, but what I saw didn't look like what I saw in my head. Something was off. Was it her eyes? Yup. They weren't into her smile.

I frowned, and took a step back. "What's wrong, Mommy?" I asked quietly, my eyes begging for an answer.

"Nothing, sweetie," she said, smiling that fake smile again. "It's just been a long day, that's all." I nodded. I didn't blame her. Mommy and Daddy were both working double shifts to try and help Sue pay for Leah and Seth. I don't get why she can't get the money for herself, but when I asked, Mommy and Daddy seemed offended. That was the last time I brought it up.

"Now you'd better get upstairs and ready for bed, young lady!" Daddy announced, shooing me upstairs.

I giggled as he tickled my sides. He scooped me up, and ran with me into my bedroom, throwing me down gently onto my bed. I bounced and laughed, the sound echoing in the quiet house.

I slipped into my fuzzy, blue pajamas and scrambled into my bed, trying desperately to warm myself up. It just gets so darn cold in the winter. Mommy and Daddy came in together, but they seemed to be distant from each other, almost as if they couldn't bear to be so close together.

I shook my head. Stop imagining things! "Goodnight, beautiful," Daddy said, kissing my cheek. He smiled softly at me before walking out the door.

Mommy came forward and gave me a hug. "I love you, baby," she whispered in my ear. She kissed the top of my head, and left my room, closing my door behind her.

I turned over and tried to get to sleep, but my body refused to shut down. I was too hyped up for some unknown reason.

Instead of lying in bed like an idiot, I crawled over to my little bookshelf and searched for one of my favorites. I found it easily, and curling up in my bed, I began to read about Matilda. How her parents didn't pay any attention to her. How she was impossibly smart at such a young age. How she showed Ms. Trunchbull who was the boss.

I had been reading for an hour, when something disrupted me. Looking up from my book, I listened harder, trying to figure out what the new noise. It got louder and louder, until I could hear words. Mommy and Daddy… they were fighting. Cusses colored the air, as I listened to what they were saying. Tears flooded my eyes. How could they do this to me? They lied!

My shoulders shook with silent sobs as I pulled on my slippers. I had to get out of here. I didn't have any idea of where to go, all I knew was that I couldn't be here. I grabbed the flashlight that was next to my bed in case the power went out, and crept out of my room and down the stairs. Tip-toeing, I slipped out the back door and into the night.

It was pitch black outside, not one star was twinkling in the sky. The tears flowed freely now, and I did nothing to stop them.

I began to walk, not knowing or caring where my feet led me. Soon, I was far enough away from the house that I was able to turn on the flashlight without Mommy or Daddy seeing the light. It was eerily quiet. There was no noise except for the sound of my feet crunching in the snow.

Snow began to fall from the sky, at first only flurries, but soon there was a blizzard like quality to it. I shivered. Not even my fuzzy pj's could keep me warm in this. I suddenly realized what path I was on, and hurried toward my destination. My hands and feet were turning numb, and I didn't know if it was bad. I'm no doctor.

I tried to keep up my quick pace, but the numb was spreading, making it harder and harder to move. I could see a light from their house ahead, and I tried to make myself move just a bit faster.

Finally, I reached the back door. Carlisle and Esme weren't home; they had gone to a party, so I wasn't scared that they'd answer the door.

I knocked softly, then harder and harder. The door opened, and there stood my best friend.

"Bella?" he said in shock, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What're you doing here?"

I began to sob, and I threw myself at him. He held his arms open, and hugged me as I cried into his shoulder. He closed the door, and pulled me farther into their house, keeping one arm around me at all times.

We sat down on his bed, and he rubbed my back soothingly. "Bella!" he exclaimed after a moment. "Did you walk here in the blizzard?" He was trying to keep his voice calm, but I could hear the fear hidden in it.

I sniffled and nodded, my crying fit over. "Get in the shower right now," he demanded. "I'll have Alice get you some warm pajamas, and I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate, okay?" He began pushing me toward the bathroom, not even waiting for my answer.

I shivered convulsively as I undressed and stepped in the steaming hot shower. The water burned, chasing away all of the cold, and all of my energy. The numbness was retreating, but a fire filled its place instead. I hissed, but did not turn down the heat. I heard the door open and close, but I paid no attention to it.

After letting the shower calm me down, I grabbed a towel, and began to dry off. Even though I'd been in the hot water for over a half an hour, I was still cold. I looked at what Alice had brought me, and I, surprisingly, liked it. There was a simple pair of sweats that looked thin, but on the inside they were super fuzzy. A light blue top went with them, and a white robe was also added to the mix. When I stepped out, I felt like an ice princess.

I looked for my slippers and pajamas, but couldn't find them anywhere. So I just grabbed a pair of Edward's socks to keep my feet warm. They were a little big, but I didn't care.

Walking slowly down the stairs, I found Edward and Alice in the kitchen, Edward looking exhausted, and Alice looking like… well Alice. Not a hair was out of place, and even her pajamas looked perfect, not like she'd been sleeping in them.

She jumped up when she saw me, and ran over to give me a hug. We stood there for a minute, before she pulled back and inspected me. "Are you alright?" she asked. I shrugged my shoulders. Not really, I wanted to say, but I didn't really want to tell them my sad story right now.

"Where's my hot chocolate?" I asked looking for the mug that I always used. There it was, sitting on the little island. It was a beautiful blue, with a cursive brown "B" painted on it. Esme made one for all of us, and I loved mine.

I could see the steam rising from it, but I didn't think it would be that hot. I took a big sip, and spluttered as the hot liquid burned my tongue.

Alice and Edward laughed at me, both of them thinking it was hilarious that I'd burnt myself.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically.

I glared angrily at them, waiting for them to stop laughing. Edward stopped first, and he punched Alice in the arm to make her stop.

We drank our hot chocolate in silence, and I was overwhelmed with tiredness. I leaned over, and laid my head on Edward's shoulder. I didn't feel too good, and as if to prove my point, I sneezed. I felt icky, like there was something stuck in my chest.

Edward, sensing how tired I was, said, "Let's go upstairs and get you to bed." I leaned against him as we walked to his room, letting him basically hold me up. He settled me in his bed.

"Where are you gonna sleep?" I asked groggily.

He laughed softly, and pulled the quilt up to my chin. "I'll just get a sleeping bag."

I was going to argue, but I was just so dang tired. My eyes slipped closed, and before I went to sleep, I mumbled, "'Night Edward," but it sounded more like, "Nigh E-wa." He laughed, and it the beautiful noise echoed through my dreams all night long.

"Can I wake her up now?"

"Shh, she's still sleeping! Can't you wait another hour?"

"No way, Jose! I gotta know now."

As sleep slipped away, I heard more and more of their whispered argument.

"Alice, she had a rough night! Why won't you let her sleep?"

"Be-cause Ed-ward, I wanna know be-fore Mom and Dad get home, so that we can make a plan as to why Bella is here." And with that, Alice pounced on Edward's bed. "Wake up sleepy head!" she screamed.

Emmett ran in with a baseball bat, his curly hair messy. "Wha's wrong? Who's being attacked?" When he saw me, he lowered his bat, his eyes questioning. "Wadda ya doing here Bella? I thought you moved out ages ago…"

"Actually Bella, that's what we all want to know," Alice said shifting awkwardly on Edward's bed.

I looked at Edward, begging him to tell them to lay off, that I'd tell them when I was ready, but he didn't. He just stood there, looking just as curious as the rest of them.

Sighing, I organized my thoughts. I didn't want to tell this more than once. I recounted everything that happened last night, from the minute they dropped me off at my house to the minute I got to Edward's.

When I was finished, everyone was still and silent for about a heartbeat before I was engulfed by hugs. Emmett was the closest to me, breaking my ribs, Edward trying to pull him off, and Alice hopping around yelling.

"One at a time," I said once I could breathe again. Emmett went first, crushing me to his chest. Then came little Alice, giving me a soft, comforting hug.

"Things are changing, Bella," she whispered in my ear. It wasn't a question, it was one of her little physic feelings. When she pulled back, her eyes told me not to mention what she said to anyone.

Edward came forward, and for once there wasn't even a glimmer of happiness in his green eyes. "It'll be okay, Bella," he said quietly as he hugged me. This wasn't a statement like what Alice said, it was just him trying to comfort me.

The door creaked open downstairs, and we all froze. "Crud," Alice muttered. "Okay, everyone, listen up!" she demanded, taking charge. "When they ask why Bella is here, we say that she came to hang out with me because her parents were yelling, so she came over just to get away for a while. Then she had to stay here because there was no way she could get home through the snow, got it?" We all nodded automatically. "Get ready."

Carlisle and Esme opened the door with smiling faces that looked genuinely confused when they saw me there. "Good morning, Bella," Carlisle said.

"Morning," I sniffled. I hadn't noticed before, but I felt sick. Being in the same room as a doctor is sure making me paranoid.

Esme looked between all four of us, looking confused. "Explain," she finally said.

Alice told her our cover story, and we all just sat and nodded. I tried to look crushed, which wasn't so hard since I was.

"Poor thing!" Esme said, running forward to give me a hug. Carlisle stood awkwardly by the door, until Esme whispered something in his ear and pushed him forward. He came forward and gave me a gentle hug.

"Well, there's one thing left to do," Carlisle said. "You need to call your parents, assuming that you didn't tell them last night."

"Why can't I go home?" I asked.

"Well, the blizzard's pretty bad. All the roads are backed up. We barely got home. You could be here a while, Bella."

"What!?" we all yelled. We ran to the window, and pulled back the blinds, and sure enough there was a good three feet of snow on the ground.

"No. Way." I stared in shock down at the yard, astounded that so much snow had fallen in such a short time.

"Here's the phone, dear," Esme said, handing it to me.

"Thanks."

When I called, I was met with a frantic hello. "Hey, Mom. It's Bella." It took me ten minutes to calm her down enough to tell her my story, the cover one anyway. Then she felt the need to apologize to me for another ten minutes. When I finally hung up, I was exhausted. Hearing her worry, I felt horrible that I had left in the first place.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Edward asked.

"Sure."

The rest of the afternoon, we watched a bunch of old Disney movies like The Lion King, Cars, Bee Movie, Toy Story, everything. Luckily, that was as long as I had to stay. The snow had stopped around noon, and they had all the roads cleared by six, so Mommy and Daddy came to pick me up.

They gave me huge hugs, assuring me that everything was okay, that it was just a tiff. I pretended that I believed the lies that they fed me, but Alice's words kept running through my head- Things are changing.

**So whadda ya think? Sorry for the uber(love that word) long wait… I received some negativeish reviews and they made me totally rethink what I was doing. Not to fear, I'm not ending this story yet.**

**I've also decided that this story will end when Bella and Edward are around twenty. You'll see why. I already have everything planned, now I just have to write it.**

**Please review. The more you do, the faster I write! lol. Even a simple good or bad will work. I am not afraid to beg (which I may have to do next chapter…) I accept anonymous reviews, so I hope to hear from you all. **

**Hope you liked it!**

**I had this done two days ago, but the stupid doc x thing wouldn't load it! Ugh. Well it's up now. REVIEW!**


	6. Age 12

**Hullo readers! I don't think I took too terribly long on this update… anyhoo… enjoy.**

The bell rang, and everyone jumped up immediately. My class sprinted to the door, Alice and I making it out first thanks to our year of track. Screaming and jumping, we hugged each other so tightly, I thought my back would break. "We made it Bella!" she squealed. "Sixth grade is DONE!"

We were broken apart by Emmett throwing Mike Newton against the wall in his hurry to see us. "Little sixth graders!" he boomed, scooping us up and twirling around in a circle.

"Hey, Emmett," we giggled dizzily as he set us down on the ground.

"We're seventh graders now mister!" Alice announced, putting her hands on her tiny hips. Emmett held his hands up in apology and we laughed.

"Emmy!" Rosalie squealed. She raced forward and enveloped him in a huge hug, followed by a peck on the cheek. Alice and I turned toward each other and made gagging noises. Everyone knows that Rose and Emmett are a couple, it's not like they try to hide it.

Jasper followed behind, his expression mirroring ours. I felt sorry for Jazz. After all, he has to deal with Rosalie and Emmett's relationship almost 24/7 and I only have to deal with it for a few minutes. I felt Alice go limp beside me, and I elbowed her in the ribs to remind her to stay in the present. She has such a huge crush on Jasper, it's hard to be around her, especially when she's off in fantasy land.

She glared at me, but didn't do too much more ogling.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, peering around all of the people rushing toward the doors. We were on different teams, and I was just about dying without having him around to comfort me.

"Don't know, don't care," Emmett grumbled. "Can't we just leave without him?" he complained, even though he knew my answer.

"No."

They all groaned.

"Bella," Emmett complained. "We gotta get to the theater before all off the seats fill up! There's only one showing for High School Musical Three today, and I wanna make it!" he said, stomping his foot for dramatic effect, making him look a lot like an angry Alice.

Edward suddenly appeared behind me. "No need to whine like a two year old, Emmett," Edward said, giving me a quick hug. Blush flooded my cheeks instantly, and my face burned.

"Lez go!" Emmett yelled, making a pathway through the few remaining people. We laughed, and followed him out.

We were making our way to the Cullen's sleek, black Escalade, when someone called my name. I turned around and saw my parents, standing uncomfortably far apart next the police cruiser. "Mom? Dad?" I gasped. "Hi!" I yelled, running toward them, ready for a big hug. The one I got was stiff and awkward. "What're you guys doing here?" I asked, stepping back.

"You can't go to the movie. We have something to talk about at home," Dad said in a flat, robot-like voice.

"O…Kay?" I said. I turned around and waved my friends off. Emmett, Rose, and Jazz piled into the car, but Alice and Edward needed a couple of more waves to get them moving.

I climbed in the backseat, and buckled up. The whole ride home was absolutely silent. Tension filled the car, making it hard to think. All I know is something is wrong.

When we got to our house, I followed Mom and Dad into the living room, Mom and Dad on the couch, me on the chair.

"So…" I said, clapping my hands together.

"Bella, your father and I are getting a divorce." My blood ran cold. This had to be the sickest joke anyone ever played on me. It out did all of those horrible April Fool's jokes anyone had ever pulled on me.

When no one yelled April Fool's or just kidding Bells, I realized that they weren't playing a joke on me. Maybe I was dreaming. Yeah, that was it. I've had nightmares like this before, where Mom and Dad split up, so it shouldn't be too much of a shock when I wake up. That would explain my wonderful year at school and this weird announcement. And the fact that my mother got right to the point without any annoying riddles. I pinched myself. Ow. Definitely awake..........Crap.

"W-what?" I stuttered in a voice barely above a whisper.

Dad looked down, and Mom's eyes filled with tears. She blinked them back quickly, and her face became distant. "You'll be moving to Phoenix, Arizona with me."

"WHAT?" I screamed, instantly on my feet. "Don't I get to choose who I live with? What if I wanna stay here?" I still wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew that I did not want to move to Arizona.

"Bella, it's for the best that you live with your mother. She'll take care of you. You'll make new friends," Dad said. It was the first time he had spoken during this little confrontation.

"I wanna stay with Daddy!" I yelled, pointing my finger at him to help get my point across. "And I won't go to Arizona with you!" I screamed at my mom.

Her face hardened. "Isabella Marie Swan. You will come and live with me in Arizona no matter how much you want to stay here. Do you understand me? I could've had us leave tomorrow, but I decided to give you a month to say goodbye to your friends. After that month, we are leaving. Got it?"

My eyes filled with tears, and a sob broke in my throat. "Fine." I stormed to the door. "I'm going for a walk." As soon as I was out, I ran, tripping and falling the whole way. I had to tell someone, to cry to someone. I hoped that Alice was home, that she hadn't gone to the movie.

"Please be home, please be home," I begged as I rang the doorbell. And there she was.

"Bella?" she gasped in surprise. I sobbed, and ran forward into her waiting arms. She led me upstairs to her room and sat me on the bed. I laid my head in her lap, and she brushed through my hair with her fingers as I cried. I didn't even bother to wonder why she wasn't at the movie.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked softly as she stroked my hair.

"M-m-my mom and d-d-d-dad are g-getting a d-d-d-d-d-" I couldn't even finish the word it was so horrible.

Alice understood.

"Oh no," she moaned, hugging me close to her.

"W-wait," I said. There was more. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what I was about to say. Saying it out loud made it actually feel real, not just like a stupid dream. "I-I have to m-m-move to Ph-Ph-Phoenix!"

Her eyes bugged open, and then she began to cry with me. "You can't move to Arizona!" she cried. But we both knew that there was nothing for us to do about it.

After a good ten minutes of crying, Alice spoke. "We should tell everyone."

"No!" I wailed, grabbing her wrist. "I'm not leaving for a month, and I do not want a pity party. I just…" I paused and searched for the right way to say what I meant. "I want it to be normal."

"Why'd you tell me then?" she asked. "If you want it to be 'normal' than wouldn't it make sense not to tell the person who you hang out with most?"

"Cause I needed to tell someone, and you, being my best friend, would understand best."

"I love you, Bella," she whispered as we hugged again.

"I love you too, Ali," I mumbled.

The next day, I demanded my parents take me to Best Buy in Seattle so I could get a very nice digital camera. If I only had one month left with my friends, I would document every second of it.

My mom didn't come, claiming that she had work to do around the house, so Dad took me. I know that Mom just didn't want to be in the car for three hours with Dad.

The camera I ended up with was small and silver, but it was as good as a professional camera, or so the Geek Squad guy told me. Dad got me three memory cards too, so it'd take me a while to run out of room.

When we finally arrived back in Forks, I sent out invites for a beach party. Everyone in my grade got an invite, even Jake. The only people I didn't send invites to were Lauren, Mike, Tyler, and Eric. I could not stand to hang out with them. I wanted to be able to have good memories of times with my friends, and I wanted to take pictures of all the good times we had in the short time I had left here.

For that month, the camera was attached to my wrist. I took so many pictures, that people would get down on their knees and beg me to stop- literally. The only people who didn't get tired of my constant companion were Alice and Edward. At first I was worried that Alice had told Edward my secret, but he never seemed sad, just confused. I couldn't say the same for Alice.

She was more ruined by this than I was. Alice was always the life of the party, but now she was more of a party pooper. She would only sit in a corner and sulk. She didn't even stare at Jasper anymore.

Finally, the horrible day arrived. The month seemed a lot shorter than it should've, but there was nothing I could do about that. Alice came over at six am to help me pack, even though it was summer. We didn't talk, just folded and packed. In the end, I only had one suitcase and a duffel bag. It would fit easily in my mom's trunk.

Alice hugged me, and then spoke for the first time all morning. "Are we going to my house to say goodbye, or are they coming here?" We had already decided that Alice would be spending the whole day with me, so that I would have a shoulder to cry on if needed.

"We're going there, right before we have to leave for the flight."

She nodded, and changed our topic. "You really should have let me buy you some new clothes," she said, pointing to my little luggage.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bags. Leave it to Alice to connect this to fashion. "It's totally fine. Besides, I don't wanna be a charity case."

She huffed angrily, but didn't say anything.

"Isabelllll-ah!" my mom called up the stairs. That was all she would call me now. Isabella. Ew. "We need to get over to the Cullen's to say goodbye!"

My eyes instantly teared up, just at the thought of what was going to happen. Alice grabbed my hand, and squeezed it softly.

We both took a deep breath, and walked slowly down the stairs. I looked all around, trying to take in every detail. I had said goodbye to Dad already, but he was still waiting by the doorway for a final hug.

"I'll miss you, Bells," he murmured, pulling me into his chest.

"Miss you too, Dad," I mumbled, trying to pull away.

"If you ever wanna… you're welcome to come back here. If you want." He let me go then, and I tried to hide my hope. I might be able to come back? It seemed too good to be true! Looking at Mom's face, I realized that it probably was. There was no way she was letting me come back here. But there was always hope.

"Bye, Dad," I mumbled, turning awkwardly away from him. He looked so broken and hurt. Dads weren't supposed to look like that. He had good reason, though. With his life moving away from him, what else could he do? Alice grabbed my suitcase, and I grabbed my duffel bag. We threw them carelessly into the trunk, and then clambered into the backseat of the rental car.

As we pulled out of the driveway, I looked back at my little house. Dad was still standing outside, but his shoulders were slouched. He looked like he was going to break down at any second. I waved, and if he saw me or not, I don't know. I felt better though, with that final little goodbye. It would be the first of many.

We arrived at the Cullen's house moments later. Everything looked quiet, but I was sure there was something exciting going on inside. Sure enough, when we came in, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were playing tennis on their Wii. Em and Rose were on a team, and Jasper was with himself, but somehow, he was still winning.

Emmett got distracted by our entrance, and Jazz scored, ending the game. Em earned a hard slap from Rosalie. I wondered what they had bet this time. "Aw man!" Emmett groaned, rubbing his head where Rose made contact.

"Whatsup, Bells?" Jazz asked, appearing at my side in an instant. I stared up at his concerned, blue eyes, but I couldn't say anything. Not yet. I needed to talk to Edward first. Alice would tell everyone else while I was telling Edward.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Uhm… I think he's hiding in his room being a hermit," Emmett grumbled.

"He's upstairs," Jasper said, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks," I called over my shoulder as I raced for Edward's room. I managed to sprint up the stairs and down the hallway without falling, something I was grateful for. I don't need Edward freaking out before we start this… conversation.

I knocked gently on his closed door, hearing rock blasting through his speakers. The volume turned down, and I heard him walking slowing toward the door. When he opened it, he looked at me in surprise. "Bella?" he gasped. I didn't blame him for being surprised. Alice and I had been attached to the hip for the past month, leaving Edward shunted to the side. No wonder his was "hiding in his room like a hermit."

"Hi," I said lamely. "Uhm… can I come in?" I asked after a moment of awkward silence. He motioned me inside, and shut the door behind us. I went over and sat on his bed, patting the area next to me. He sauntered over, and plopped down, making the bed bounce. I giggled. Already he was acting more like my Edward. I almost felt like not telling him I was moving. I felt like being a coward and having Alice tell him after I left. Looking into his sparkling eyes, I realized I couldn't do that.

"Listen, Edward," I started, looking down at my hands. I felt him freeze beside. Okay… guess that wasn't the best way to start. I took a deep breath and continued, still staring at my hands. "My mom and dad got… divorced. I… My mom is making me move to Ari… Arizona with her." I closed my eyes, waiting for him to explode.

Instead, he was quiet. "When?" he finally asked.

A single tear slid down my cheek. "Today," I choked. I tensed myself, fearing what was coming next. All I got was silence. Finally, I got the nerve to look up at him from where I sat. His expression was blank; careful. His eyes were distant, showing nothing.

He felt me looking at him, and he stood up, turning toward me. "We'd better get you outside, then," he said in a flat voice.

"O-okay," I stuttered, scrambling off his bed and to my feet. I expected him to take my hand, or hug me or something, but he did nothing. He only walked beside me on my way down. My Edward was gone again. Tears pooled in my eyes. I shouldn't've waited for the last minute to tell him. I should've told him a month ago when I told Alice. Alarm flickered across his face for a moment when he saw me crying, but it was gone before I even realized it was there.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I was surrounded by all of my friends. My tears overflowed then. I felt Edward slip away as I was being mauled. They each gave me a massive hug, Emmett's standing out most since he almost broke my rib. But the hug that I wanted most never came.

"Isabella," my mom called after I had been surrounded for a few minutes. "Come say goodbye to Carlisle and Esme, then we have to leave."

"Okay," I mumbled sadly, shaking off Emmett, who was clinging to my arm.

Esme had tears in her eyes, and even Carlisle looked a little shaken up. "Goodbye darling," Esme murmured, rushing forward. She gave me a bone-cracking hug (now I know where Emmett gets it) and I kiss on the forehead. "You're welcome to visit anytime you want," she promised. I looked over her shoulder at the hopeful faces of my friends. I searched for Edward, trying to see how he felt about this news. He was slumped against the wall by the stairway, glaring at me like I was evil. I shrank away, returning my gaze to Esme's kind brown eyes.

"Thanks, Esme." I got a hug from Carlisle, and then that was it. I climbed into our car, hurt more than I would think possible. As we drove away, everyone but Edward raced outside and waved their final goodbyes. I searched and searched for his face, but he wasn't among the group of people I loved. Instead, I saw his angry gaze glaring at me through his bedroom window. I turned away, fresh tears stinging my eyes. I knew leaving was going to be hard, but I didn't think anyone would be mad at me.

So much had changed in such a short time. I wondered if I'd ever be friends with Edward again. The way he glared at me… I shivered, and moved away from that train of thought. Too dangerous. Crying in front of my mom would only make her mad at me.

As the Cullen's house slipped away, I wondered, where's my happy ending?

**Please review you guys! I want to know exactly how all y'all feel. I worked really fast on this chapter, and honestly, I didn't like it very much. :P So please tell me what you thought so I know that you guys still want this story. All I want is five people to review. Just five. I will beg next chapter, and that is not something you wanna see. **

**And ohmicullen! I got the Twilight Soundtrack and it is freaking awesome! If you haven't gotten it, go and get it now! Paramore, Muse, Linkin Park… everything you could ever want on one CD! Haha.**

**So please review!**


	7. Age 14 Homeward Bound!

**Yahoo! You guys are so awesome! You did get my five reviews (and beyond!) Yay! I'd like to say thanks to one reader- Mastaspammip. They were the first reviewer, and they reviewed like… five minutes after I updated. **

**And I am soo sorry for the wait. I had something planned, really I did, but then when I started writing it, it sounded weird. And then I was trying so hard to figure our how to write this. So here it is! **

**And just incase you're wondering, I skipped Phoenix. I decided that would be way too angsty, and trust me, you do not want that. Haha. So enjoy!**

Standing on the front lawn of our house, it was like I'd never left. I grabbed the money from my wallet and tossed it to the cab driver who winked at me (ew) before driving away. I picked up my tattered bags and began my march toward the door. Nerves grabbed me, twisting my stomach into knots that I wasn't sure would ever untie. Sure everything looked the same, but I knew that something had to be different.

What was I most worried about? Charlie. A.) How has he fed himself the past two years??? B.) Would he take me in? and C.) Did he run off and get remarried just like Renee? Okay, A and B are both stupid, but c'mon, C is totally plausible.

Shoving worries to the back of my head is something I've become quite good at, so I stashed these in the back of my mind with all of the other unwelcome thoughts.

As I neared the door, I started hyperventilating for God knows what reason. Maybe Charlie wouldn't be home, and I'd just face him later when I've had more time to prepare. I was enough of a coward to hope that this would happen, but I couldn't help but notice how dark it was getting. If the cab driver whistled at me… let's just say I don't wanna sleep at a motel tonight.

Each stair step seemed to take a lifetime to climb up-

Step…

Step…

Step…

The door loomed in front of me, and I bit my lip nervously. This was it. Timidly, I stuck out my small had and curled my fingers into a fist. It hung a couple of inches in front of the door until I remembered how to move. Knock, knock. My arm dropped like a dead snake at my side as I waited.

Finally, the door was thrown open. "Bout time you got here!" someone bellowed.

I yelped in fear, and leapt backwards, landing on my butt. And get this- I totally jumped off the deck. I was on the little gravel sidewalk, and I could see the stairs in front of me. "Ow," I mumbled, tears stinging my eyes.

"Bella?" the voice asked incredulously. I looked up to see a very concerned and VERY tall, Jacob.

"Hey, Jake," I winced.

"Ouch. That looked like it hurt," he murmured sympathetically as he helped me up. He wiped off my butt (awkward…) to get away all the gravel.

"How's that?" he asked.

"Ugh. I don't think I'll ever be able to sit down again! Gravel is probably permanently impaled on my butt," I groaned, rubbing it where it hurt.

"Jacob! Are you making out with the pizza person?" I heard someone call from inside.

"Yeah. We heard a big thump. Hope you two weren't getting too dirty…" someone else said, trailing off suggestively. My mouth dropped open in an o and I was having a hard time breathing. Gosh, this was soo embarrassing.

Jacob looked just as mortified, but I could see that he was a little happy about what the mystery people had said. Should I be flattered…?

"Well… Don't let us interrupt," one of the mystery voices sighed.

"Yup. Be as dirty as you like Jakie," the other voice called.

Jake waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Ugh. That perv!

I slapped him across the face, and I felt my hand crack.

"OUCH!" I shouted, jumping away from him as if I'd been tasered. Cradling my hand awkwardly against my chest, I stormed into the family room where Billy and Charlie were watching the Seahawks…. Or maybe it was the Seagulls… Whatever.

"Bells?" Charlie gasped in shock. He stood up, looking horrified, as Billy laughed. "W-what're ya doin here, baby?" he asked, giving me a one armed hug.

"I came home," I said simply, shrugging. A burst of pain shot through my hand. Ouch. Not smart. "Now can you please drive me to the E.R.? I think I broke my hand."

"Lemme see," Charlie said.

Gingerly holding out my hand, I was appalled by what I saw. My hand was bent at a strange angle, one that looked so wrong, it made you wanna puke.

"Ugh, you're right," Charlie groaned.

"Way to make and entrance, Bells," Billy chuckled.

"What exactly did you do, Bella?" Charlie asked.

"I slapped Jacob," I snapped as I marched to the cruiser. Guffaws broke out inside, and I blushed a furious red. Great impression, Bella, really, I thought to myself as I slid into the car.

When we arrived at the E.R, I wasn't even thinking of who I would run into. So there I sat, in the uncomfortable blue chair, cradling my arm and scowling at the ground like an angry toddler, when in walks my second father.

I didn't even notice him, until he was talking to Charlie. "Hello, Charlie," his musical voice sang. "Wonderful to see you. What exactly are you doing here though? Are you hurt?" He went from life long friend to doctor mode in less than a heartbeat.

"Not me today, Carlisle," Charlie smiled. "It's actually Bella."

My head snapped up just as Carlisle's head whipped around to look at me. We both stared at each other for a long moment, until I forced out an awkward, "Hi."

He grinned, and came over to give me a hug. He hit my hand, and I had to bite my tongue to hold back my shriek of pain. "I dearly hope that you're not just visiting," he whispered in my ear. As he stepped away, I was shocked at how little justice my memories had done. Carlisle looked just like Zeus's younger, better looking brother. In fact, it almost seemed as if he was glowing.

"So, what's troubling you today, Bells?" he asked.

I held up my hand, and he gasped, bending over to take a better look at it.

"Well, you don't need me to tell you that it's broken, now do you?" he asked in a hollow voice; he was still in shock.

I shook my head. "And because I know you're going to ask, I slapped Jacob on the face. Look's like he's got a thicker skull than I thought," I joked.

Carlisle chuckled as he gingerly held my hand, feeling along the break to see how bad it was. "Well, I'm almost positive it's a clean break, but let's get an x-ray just to make sure that there aren't any splinters. I'll get a wheelchair-"

Oh-no. That was so not happening. I grabbed his shoulder with my good hand, turning him around to face me. "Uhm… I didn't hurt my leg Carlisle," I hinted. He got it immediately, and rolled his eyes.

"Same old Bella," he muttered. "Well, looks like we're fresh out of wheelchairs, so you'll just have to walk." He winked at me (in a non-creepy way) and led me to the x-ray room.

Turns out it was a clean break. Carlisle was absolutely right. And there wasn't a splinter to its name. I got a green cast to match the trees that I had missed so much, and I had to keep it on for eight weeks. That meant wearing it to my first day of high school. Ew.

It was nearly midnight when we finally got home, and I collapsed eagerly into my bed. A cloud of dust puffed up, and I sneezed. Looks like no one's been in here since I left. I wouldn't be surprised. Too many sad memories. Charlie brought up my bags, and I eagerly grabbed a pair of too-small pj's. That's the thing about all of my clothes- they were too small. Renee and… him got their own big house which meant less money for important stuff like clothes and food. I was practically a stick, but it looked sickly, not good.

That night, I had nightmare after nightmare about Renee and how mad she was at me for splitting without telling her. One of the dreams was so vivid that I almost screamed aloud when I woke up. I managed not to by biting my pillow with such force that a small hole formed.

I know what I would've done two years ago- I would've run right over to the Cullen's. A lot has changed since then, though, and I don't think that's an option right now. Maybe in another year or two it will be, but not right now.

I fell into an uneasy sleep, not waking again until morning.

Stumbling down the stairs, I looked through the cabinets, trying to find something that would fill the breakfast criteria. I found a box of Count Chocula, my favorite. That's weird. I checked the expiration date wearily, and was ecstatic when I discovered that it didn't expire for a while. I poured myself a heaping bowl, only to be disappointed when I realized we had no milk. Ugh.

So I ate it dry. I didn't want to wake Charlie, and besides, I have something important to do today, like apologizing to some very special friends.

I called Carlisle on his cell, hoping that he wasn't at work. Luck was with me (as it often never is) and he answered on the second ring. "Hey Carlisle, it's Bella," I greeted.

"Hello, Bella. What can I do for you today? How's your hand?" he asked.

"The hand's good, but listen, I was wondering if you could possibly get the whole gang over to your house today… around noon? I wanna say hello to everyone, and I want it to be a surprise."

He laughed. "If we can magically wake everyone up by then, than sure. No one in this house or the Hale's house wakes up before one on break. But I'm sure we can convince them."

"Thanks, Carlisle!" I practically screamed. "See ya at noon!" I said in a quieter voice.

I heard him chuckle before I hung up the phone. Phase One of Mission: Impossible completed. Now it's time for Phase Two- Dress Up.

I raced up to my room and began rifling through my bag, looking for something that I could wear that was maybe halfway decent. I finally found what I was looking for, my holey jeans and a v-neck dark blue sweater. Even though it was warm to all Forkians, right now to an Arizonian, it was FREEZING. But I didn't want to look like a total freak bundled up in a hat and gloves. So I opted for my sweater.

Phase Two- completay!

Now I just have to shower and make myself presentable. It shouldn't be too hard right? Wrong.

I don't know why, but I really want to look nice, like I've grown up or something while I was away. I can't run around flaunting a tan, which is depressing by the way, but I can show everyone how sophisticated I've become. As I thought this, I tripped over the rug in the bathroom, and smashed into the wall. Luckily, no hole formed, but now my head was pounding. Great.

Taking a long, soothing, warm shower was definitely important, and I was in there for nearly an hour, just letting the water wash over me and loosen my muscles. Ah. So nice.

When I got out, I pulled on my clothes, and slipped on the wet floor, landing on my already bruised butt. "Shit," I muttered, picking myself up and frowning at my wet butt. Then I had a genius idea. I raced to my room and grabbed my hairdryer and started blowing it on my bottom in a desperate attempt to dry it.

Miraculously, it worked, and I was all dry in five minutes. Sadly, I couldn't say the same about my hair. It was absolutely insane, forming a grizzly mane around my head. "Aw man!" I groaned. Trying to brush through it, I got my brush stuck in my hair. Looking at myself in the mirror, I realized that I looked like someone from the sixties or seventies with an afro and a comb stuck in it.

With strength I didn't know I had, I pulled the brush out and started over, brushing more carefully.

It only took half an hour.

I didn't bother to put on makeup, for I was almost positive that I would cry sometime today. Since I have no waterproof anything, I decided to just go without. Besides, I hate wearing that crap anyway, so who cares. I don't want my friends to think that I've become Super Slut while I was away, because, if anything, I've gotten more invisible. It kinda sucks, but at the same time it's pretty nice. Much to most people's disgust, I enjoy being a wall flower. It's my job.

When I left the bathroom, it was nearly eleven-thirty and Charlie still wasn't awake. I tiptoed into his room, and nudged his shoulder gently. "Dad? You need to wake up. I need a ride to the Cullen's soon," I whispered gently.

He rolled over and grumbled, "Drive yourself."

I had to hold back a laugh. "Well, Police Chief, if you don't mind underage driving, then sure. Where's the keys?" I asked in my most serious voice.

His eyes shot open. "I'm up, I'm up. Wait five minutes," he commanded.

I saluted him and marched downstairs. I sat on the couch and turned on some random TV show. It was Everybody Loves Raymond. I've watched it zillions of times with Renee, but it was still hilarious. Good ole Ray. It was the Thanksgiving episode, and when Charlie came down to take me to the Cullen's I was just about to pee my pants.

I turned the TV off and wiped a tear from my cheek. "That was really funny," I sighed, as I settled into the front seat of the car. Charlie was looking at me like I was crazy, but I don't care.

After a minute in the car, my happiness was replaced with sheer nervousness. What if they didn't accept me? I knew that Alice would, but what about Rose? Jasper? Emmett? What about the one person who refused to talk to me the whole time I was away? What about Edward?

I don't know how I'll live if he ignores me. I've tried to talk to him, but he never answers his cell, and he's always "busy" whenever I ask Alice if he can talk. Maybe he'll forgive me when he sees that I came back.

As I approached the door, my hands started to shake. I rang the doorbell, and I could hear it through the whole house. I could also hear some grumblings from inside.

"Emmett, door," someone moaned.

"I'm so not getting up. You get it Jazz," Emmett grumbled.

"I'm oldest. Edward, you get it!" Jasper mumbled.

"I'm so not-"

"Edward! Get the door!" two shrill voices screeched at the same time.

Someone stood up, and shuffled to the door, taking their time.

Finally, the lock clicked, and there, standing right in front of me, was my Edward. My eyes raked over him, and I could feel his eyes on me as well. Wow was he tall. Not nearly as tall as Jacob, but I think he's probably around 5'8" or 5'9", making me feel like a dwarf at my respectable 5'2" height.

My eyes met his, and I knew that I was forgiven. "Bella?" he gasped. And then I did something very un-Bella-ey- I jumped into his arms for a hug. He held me tight, and I breathed in his unique scent, marveling at how well we fit together, almost like two puzzle pieces.

"BELLA!" the shrill voices squealed. I was pulled away from Edward, and enveloped in a giant group hug with my two best girlfriends. I looked over Alice's head and mouthed, "Sorry," to Edward. He just grinned as shrugged as if to say, you can't stop a force of nature.

"Ow, watch the cast you guys!" I mumbled.

They rolled their eyes. "What did you do now?" Alice asked in the patronizing tone a parent often uses when they know their kid did something bad.

"I slapped Jacob Black."

Emmett and Jasper found this hilarious, and began to crack up. Rose and Alice started lecturing me on how unladylike it was to hit a guy, especially when he was hitting on you. I looked over to Edward and he was pinching his nose. I could practically hear him grinding his teeth from across the patio.

Suddenly, I found myself off the ground. I screamed in terror, then laughed when I saw Emmett's goofy grin. He'd scooped me up so that he could get a hug away from the girls. "Way to punch the jock, Bells!" he cheered. Jock? What? Before I could ask, I was passed to Jasper, and then passed right back to Edward, who I held onto a lot tighter this time. I didn't want to get torn away from him again. He laughed and ran his fingers through my hair, bad mood forgotten. I looked up at his perfect face and smiled, and he shot me my crooked grin right back.

"I missed you," he whispered quietly.

"I missed you more," I mumbled, trying not to cry. Eventually, the dam in my eyes broke, and I started to sob.

"Bella?" Edward's agonized voice broke through my depression. "What's wrong baby?" he asked. "Are you… are you mad at me?" he asked in a quiet voice.

I shook my head, at a loss for words. All of my friends just stood in shock, except for Edward who was still holding me tight.

"U-u-upstairs?" I managed to stutter out.

He scooped me up in his strong arms, and walked upstairs to his bedroom, trying to comfort me along the way. "Shh, Bella," he murmured as he set me down on his bed. I laid down on my back, and he laid right next to me. I curled myself into his side, sobbing renewed sobs.

"I… I miss my m-m-mom!" I exclaimed. And then I proceeded to tell him everything, from Renee and Phil, to the heartless kids at school. From our lack of money, to my lack of attention.

He held me closer, and sat us both up. "I'm so sorry, Bella, for everything that I did to you… It was foolish and stupid and…"

In a moment of pure idiocy, I shoved my lips against his. At first, he was unwilling, just shocked, but soon our lips were moving in a sort of frenzy against one another. Kissing Edward, even if I really shouldn't be kissing him right now, is amazing. It's… it's… wow. And then, when I was reaching around his head to grab his soft hair, my cast smacked him on the head, totally ruining the moment.

We broke apart, and just stared into each others eyes, shock clear in both of our expressions. The only difference was that my face was covered in red blush.

"Now that's a first kiss!" Edward exclaimed after our breathing slowed. I giggled, relieved. That was such a bonehead move to just throw myself at Edward like that. And here I was trying not to seem slutty by not wearing make up. It's a good thing that he didn't mind. And from the way he said, "Now that's a first kiss," I can only imagine that he enjoyed that as much as I did.

Everything is perfect now. I have Edward back, but right now I'm not really sure if he's a friend or something more. We've always had something special, but is it really love, or is it just some… I don't know something normal like brotherly love?

It doesn't matter right now, a little voice in my head said. Everything's perfect. Don't mess with it! And that little voice was right in one way.

Everything is perfect.

**So there it is. Chapter Seven. Like it or not, I still really want a review. I just want five simple reviews again, and I swear if I get five reviews by the Sunday immediately after Thanksgiving, I will update a week later, maybe even sooner. I will update within a couple of weeks even if I don't get my five reviews though, I'm just not sure when.**

**And omigosh I loved the Twilight movie! Minus Robert Pattison (sorry Robert fangirls!) I thought it was really cute, and totally hilarious. I've already seen it three times, and I still love it. So if you wanna talk movie, PM me or talk about it when you review (cuz I know you will) **

**Anonymous reviews are enabled, so don't you go around thinking you can't review. Muahaha.**

**Oh, and since I always forget to put it, I do not own Twilight. That should count for the whole story right there. Yup. Cool. **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	8. Age 15

**I updated before Sunday! Huzzah! But my wonderful readers get more pats, they had enough reviews within the first day. You guys rock! **

**So, I hope you enjoy the chaptah!**

"Bella, hurry up!" Alice screamed from downstairs. "You're going to make me LATE!" she shrieked.

"As a certain annoying pixie once said, you cannot rush perfection!" I shouted back, mocking her just a teensy bit; well, maybe more than that…

"If you're not down here in five minutes Isabella Marie Swan, you're walking to school!" she threatened.

"No, I'll just get a ride with Edward!" I cheered. I could practically hear her grinding her teeth in annoyance. She wasn't a fan of how much time I spent with Edward, but whenever I wasn't with him, she was with Jasper! So really, it's not all my fault, I swear.

"Ugh. Fine! You have ten minutes. Happy?" she groaned. Ah, sweet success!

"Okie-dokie!"

"I'm counting!"

Rolling my eyes, I made my way to the little closet in the corner of my room. I really didn't need this much time to get ready for school, but I was having way too much fun bothering Alice to speed up my process.

Besides, deciding what to wear is hard!

I've already decided on a pair of skinny jeans and my navy blue Converse Hi-Tops (they've saved me from breaking my ankles many, many times), but I have no idea what shirt to wear.

"Blue V-neck sweater, Bella. Have I taught you nothing?" Alice called from below. Thank God. I grabbed the sweater and slipped it on, rolling up the sleeves a bit so I wouldn't get a heat stroke from my obnoxiously hot house. I moseyed slowly to the bathroom, whistling a cheery tune as I walked.

"You officially have five minutes!" she called.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I slipped on the wet floor in the bathroom, and fell flat on my butt. "Ow!" I wailed.

I could hear Alice's musical laughter from the kitchen. "I saw that one coming!" she giggled.

"Thanks for warning me," I mumbled to myself, using the counter to help myself stand up. Note to self- we need a bathroom floor rug.

Rummaging through the bathroom cabinet, I found the flat-iron and blow drier that Alice and Rose had given me for my fifteenth birthday, nearly a year ago. I began the work on my hair, blowing and brushing, and then straightening my bangs and any other pieces that didn't want to lay right.

"YOUR TIME IS UP, BELLA!" The scream was so deafening and surprising that I dropped the flat-iron, getting my finger caught in it in the process.

"Shit!" I wailed. Picking up my left hand, I inspected the damage. Angry red marks were making their appearance on my thumb, pointer finger, and on the back of my hand by those two digits. Sucking in an angry breath between my teeth, I blew on it, trying to make the pain go away.

Alice was suddenly upstairs with me, picking up the dropped flat-iron and turning it off. She shoved all of my toiletries back into the cabinet, trying to stay away from my hand as much as possible.

"Oh, shit, what the hell do you do for a freaking burn!?" Alice wailed in dismay. She went to grab my hand, but I turned away, in the process, rubbing it against the wall which hurt like hell.

"Uhm… uhmm…" I said, trying to think back to the many first aid classes my mom made me take in Phoenix.

We were pacing around the bathroom, trying to figure out what to do, when the front door slammed open. "Bella?" a velvet voice called. I instantly relaxed, knowing that my angel, who was also training to be a doctor, was here.

"We're in the bathroom, Edward!" I shouted, trying not to let my voice quiver. I was relaxed, sure, but my hand was still on fire, and swelling at an impressive rate. His footsteps pounded up the stairs, and he was at my side in an instant.

As he took in the scene before him, his face went from smooth and relaxed to angry and lined in the blink of an eye. "Alice, go to school," he commanded through gritted teeth.

"But, Edward, I-"

"Go. To. School. Tell them why Bella and I are late, and then attend your class."

"Okay, okay!" she said holding her hands up in surrender. "Er… sorry bout that Bella! I'll… uhm… see you later?" she squeaked as she scurried out of the room. I didn't blame her; with Edward glaring like that, I would run too.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to sound calm. Over-protective much?

"Oh. Well, I was straightening my hair, when Alice screamed time's up from downstairs. I was paying a lot of attention to what I was doing, so when she yelled, I was surprised, and I dropped my flat-iron, but before it hit the ground, it got caught around my pointer finger, thumb, and part of my hand so now I'm burnt and I don't know what to do!" By the end of my little story, I was sobbing because my hand hurt so bad, and because I was really stupid.

He gave me an awkward hug, trying not to touch my injured hand. "Well, lucky for you, I do know what to do," he whispered in my ear. Straightening up, he turned on the cold water, and stuck my hand under it. Instantly, some of the burning was relieved, although it still throbbed.

"Ahh," I moaned with pleasure. "Thank you, Edward." I looked up at him happily and stood up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. He bent his head so I didn't have to reach as far. It was just a quick peck, nothing like some of our other kisses. As we pulled away, he held my face, brushing the still falling tears away with his thumbs.

He smiled crookedly at me, and walked into the hallway. "I'm gonna try to find some gauze and medical ointment, okay?" he called.

"Okay," I whimpered. I turned my hand under the faucet, trying to get every bit of the burn covered in cool water.

He returned quickly, empty-handed. "You don't have anything for burns, and absolutely no gauze," he said, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"No Emergency Room!" I practically screamed. I've been there way too much. I'm so not going in there for a little, well kinda big, burn.

He glared at me for a moment, but shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. You'll come to my house, get the ointment and gauze, and Carlisle will check you out. If it's second degree, you're going to the doctor. Deal?" He held out his hand, waiting.

I eyed it for a minute. Really, that was a great deal, considering all of the horrible things he could put me through. "Okay," I finally agreed, shaking his hand with my good one. He sighed in relief, and whisked me off to his car.

We were soon on our way, driving much too fast down the road. "You're so lucky you have a license," I grumbled as I crossed my arms across my chest, being sure to keep the bad hand away from anything solid.

He laughed musically, happy for the distraction I'd just supplied him with. "Maybe if you didn't keep hurting your hand, you could be farther in your driver's ed. class!" he joked.

I continued to scowl. Everyone but me had their license. Screw being fifteen, I wanna be sweet sixteen! "This has nothing to do with my hand injuries, and you know it," I grumbled angrily. I'd gotten my cast off just a couple of weeks after smacking Jacob, and I haven't seen him since.

"Well, if you really wanted, I could probably bribe the police to let you get your license now," he offered. I looked up to his face in shock. Sure, they have a lot of money, but c'mon, why would they spend that much on me? From what I could read from his expression, he was totally serious.

"Um… no that's okay, Edward," I mumbled awkwardly. Money was a touchy subject because he's always had so much, and I've always had just enough. "I'll just have to bear it."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself." How un-Edward-y. I'll admit, things have been a little weird since I surprise attacked him last year, but… okay, I can't even defend myself on that one.

We sat in silence for the rest of the ride, and let me tell you, it was awkward. Finally, we arrived at his massive house, and I climbed out quickly, making myself wipe out in response. "Drat," I muttered, picking myself up. Edward was at my side to help me immediately.

"Try not to kill yourself, okay?" he asked softly.

"I'm not suicidal," I snapped angrily.

"I know," he said, looking at me with a shocked expression on his face. I bit my lip, embarrassed for my sudden outburst.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking at the ground. "Things have just been weird lately."

"Will you go out with me, Bella?"

**Dum, dum, dummm! Sorry for the cliffie and ridiculously short chapter, but if I was to keep my promise, I'd need to give you a short chapter. This will be continued next week. If I get seven reviews, I'll update on… Saturday! Of next week of course. So please review!**

**Thank you guys so much for reading, and to show me how much you like or don't like my story, click that little purple button and review!**


	9. Age 15 Part II

EPOV (the night before)

"Ed-weenie! We need some more popcorn, stat!" Emmett roared, chucking the last remnants from the bowl at me.

I rolled my eyes at his new-found nickname for me, and went to pop some more popcorn. "Extra Butter or Super Cheddar?" I called from the kitchen.

"Extra Butter!" Jasper crowed.

"Super Cheddar!" Emmett demanded.

There was a muffled thunk and then an, "Owww!"

"So… What kind of popcorn are we having?"

"Super Cheddar," Jasper mumbled in defeat. Emmett's victory howl shook the whole house, and nearly made me go deaf.

"Yeesh, guys," I groaned as I stumbled into the room under the heavy bowl of popcorn. "The neighbors are gonna think that we're being murdered or something."

"Hey, I don't live here, so you two can deal with that if it comes, kay?" Jasper said cockily, folding his arms behind his head.

"Why are you here again?" Emmett asked, scratching his head in mock confusion.

Jazz rolled his eyes, but answered willingly after a moment. "Because my mom and dad abandoned me and Rose and decided to go to Italy without us. So, we're stuck here, hanging out with you dorks."

I sighed. "Too bad Charlie didn't run away to a foreign country, then Bella could be here too."

Emmett and Jasper looked at each other with evil eyes, and then, before I knew what was happening, I was pinned to the wall. The Extra Cheddar popcorn flew around the snow white room, staining everything a dirty yellow orange color. Jasper had my feet, and Emmett had my shoulders pinned tight against the wall.

"Alright, lil bro," Emmett said with a big goofy grin on his face. "You tell us everything about this whole you and Bella thing and we'll let you go."

I shook my head jerkily from side to side. "Now way, man! I'm not telling you-" I was shut up by a piece of fabric being shoved into my mouth. It took me a minute to realize that it was one of Emmett's dirty gym socks. I began to gag, the taste was so horrible. Not to mention the smell burned your nose.

Jasper's loud guffaws were silenced by one smooth kick to his chest by me. Good thing I kept some of those soccer skills.

Emmett pulled the stinky, and now wet, sock from my mouth and tossed it across the room, where it landed on a pile of Extra Cheddar popcorn. "Now tell us everything, or I'm gonna get my underwear," Emmett threatened.

"Why don't you ask Jasper about his lover?" I asked, squirming against their strong hold.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Jasper and Ali are so last week, we need some new drama!"

"Maybe if you let me go, I'll tell you!" I spat through clenched teeth.

"Maybe?"

"Okay, fine. I will tell you if you let me go," I snapped. Then suddenly, the hands were gone, and I fell forward in to a mess of Extra Cheddar popcorn.

They both laughed loudly, and I scowled angrily at them before sitting up. "Well that was rude," I stated.

"We've never really been polite, have we now?" Emmett asked, shrugging his massive shoulders. Jasper nodded next to him as if that explained everything.

"Okay… I think I'm in love with Bella," I muttered quickly.

That's when the cat-calls and jeers began. I frowned, tears pricking my eyes. Jazz and Em were great, but they sure know how to hurt a guy's feelings.

"No offense, Eddie, but she's wayyy outta your league," Emmett managed to say between laughing fits. "I mean, basically the whole male population of your grade is pining for her, and I'm almost positive that she loves Jacob Black," he stated.

In a lightening quick movement, I was on top of Emmett punching him in the face, chest, gut, anywhere that I could reach. He hit a nerve, making that Jacob comment, and I just snapped. He writhed underneath me, squealing in pain. I was vaguely away of Jasper pulling on my shoulders, but I didn't let that stop my beat down on Em.

After a minute of struggle, Jazz was finally able to pull me away from Emmett. He picked me up, and I flailed my arms and legs, trying to make contact with anyone in my way. He threw me down on the couch and slapped me across the face. A fiery burning covered my cheek, and I stopped moving, touching my cheek numbly.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"God, Edward. Lookit what you did to Emmett, man." Jasper stepped aside, giving me a full view of a very beat up Emmett.

One of his eyes was already turning black from a well aimed punch by me. His lower lip was bleeding, and there were many cuts and bruises various places on his open skin. "By Gawd, E-wa," Emmett said with a lisp. "Looki wha you di to me, you feak!"

"You know, he wasn't totally unjustified," Jasper said seriously.

"Fuck you, Jasper!" Emmett growled. But it really sounded like, "Suck you, Daspa!"

Jasper rolled his eyes and ignored him. "Are you gonna ask her out?"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

BPOV

"_Bella, will you go out with me?"_

Whoa. I think my mouth fell open, but I can't really feel my body enough to be sure. And my God, just looking at his hopeful emerald eyes made me lose my train of thought! I pinched myself, and definitely felt it. Okay, so I'm not dreaming, I guess…

Breathing became harder as I tried to remember how to talk, and his eyes turned from hopeful to hurt once he saw my bewildered expression. I wish I could move my lips so I could tell him yes, tell him that I've always wanted to go out with him, tell him so many things, but my mind couldn't make that happen.

I've always imagined asking Edward out, but it never happened like this. Normally, I would ask him out, in front of the whole school for some reason, and he'd turn me down, insult me, and walk away. Those make-believe stories never did really help my ego.

But in the few times I'd imagined him asking me out, I tell him yes in an instant, and spare him all of this pain and fear.

So why won't I say yes?

And then it hit me, the only thing that could ever stop me from answering this one, simple question.

Jacob.

EPOV

"Bella, will you go out with me?" I asked hopefully. I analyzed her expression, and saw many emotions flit across her face. First there was shock; that one stayed the longest. Then there was joy, anger, fear, confusion, hurt, and finally, her face settled into her contemplating mask; where she's here, but not really here.

In a desperate attempt to draw her back to reality I stuttered, "Only out to dinner, or a movie, or whatever, and we don't even have to be a 'thing' if you don't want to." Even if I really do, I added silently in my head. She stayed silent. "Or we could just… not. I mean, if you don't want to, just say no. I won't hate you or anything, I swear." More silence. I became irritated. "You know what, never mind. It's fine. Let's go see Carlisle," I snapped, grabbing her wrist to pull her toward the house.

Looks like Emmett was right. Of course he was. Why in the world would Bella, the most perfect person on the planet, want to go out with someone like me? I was zoning out the whole time Carlisle was checking her wound, and I was almost positive she was too.

"Yup, only first degree, but I'm gonna give you some burn ointment and gauze. You'll need to keep it on there until all of the blisters are gone, okay?"

"Kay," she answered feebly. Any other time, I would've hugged her, but right now, I feel like slapping her.

The drive to school was silent, and for once, I was glad I didn't have any morning classes with her.

"Um… I'll see you at lunch right?" she asked in a small voice.

I shrugged, not meeting her nervous, brown eyes.

She sighed softly. "Edward… I-"

I shook my head. "I've got to get to class, Bella. We're already late." And with that, I stormed off, leaving her standing alone in the dreary parking lot.

The morning passed much too quickly, and I found myself absolutely dreading lunch. When the bell rang, I trudged glumly through the pouring rain to the lunch room. Of all days for me to forget my coat, it had to be the day the sky dumped buckets.

I slipped and slid to our lunch table, and collapsed ungracefully on the bench. Everyone else was already there, eating their lunches. I wasn't hungry, so all I had was a Coke. I was shocked to see that Bella only had lemonade. I was about to comment, but then I remembered I wasn't talking to her, so I kept my mouth shut. "Hey," was all I said.

After about five minutes of awkward silence, Alice stood up. "Hey, Bella, will you come with me to the bathroom please?" Alice asked.

Bella looked up at her in confusion. "You don't need me to help you go to the bathroom," she stated in a shaking voice. Alice sighed, and Rosalie rolled her eyes.

Rose stood up too, and they both grabbed one of Bella's arms, and proceeded to drag her out of the room. "Well, that was weird," I mumbled.

"Edward, what's up with you man?" Jasper asked. "You're… depressed."

"No shit Sherlock," I muttered.

"Seriously, Ed," Emmett said. "You're like… not acting all happy go lucky Edward-y like you normally do whenever Bella's in sight. What's up?"

Whoa. Emmett just sounded seriously concerned for me. Wow. "I asked Bella out and she said… well… she didn't say anything," I mumbled brokenly. Tears pricked my eyes, and I rubbed my hand angrily across them to try to make it stop.

"Aw, man. I'm sorry. Maybe Rose and Ali will talk her into it. You know how persuasive they are," Emmett offered.

"I don't wanna go out with her if she doesn't really love me," I snapped, causing more tears to flood my eyes.

"Edward…"

"I have to go." I stood up and ran out of the cafeteria, outside through the pouring rain, and across the slick parking lot before finally reaching my Volvo. I hopped in and grabbed the nearest CD, popping it into the disk drive. Soon, the music was rocking my car, and I just laid back and let the tears fall.

BPOV

Wow. This is wayy awkward. Everyone was quiet, and… and I couldn't even look at Edward. God, I really messed things up didn't I?

Alice stood up, and my eyes followed her warily. Something was up, I could feel it even in my comatose like state. "Hey, Bella, will you come to the bathroom with me, please?"

Uh… no. "You don't need me to help you go to the bathroom," I mumbled as I stared down at my lemonade. I don't really want to talk to Alice right about now. But I guess she missed (or didn't care about) my subtle signs of no talk-i-tude, because on some secret signal I didn't see, Rose was up and grabbing one of my arms with Alice grabbing the other.

I let out a startled squeak as they pulled me away, and wondered what they were going to do to me. Nothing too horrible, I hope. After they dragged me out of the cafeteria, I began to thrash and squeal, trying to break free of their strong grips; even though Rose and Alice are small, my oh my, are they strong!

"C'mon you guys, let me go!" I sniffled after I realized that my jiggles weren't helping. "You're gonna pull my arms out of their sockets!" I wailed at the horrible pain in my shoulder. "And Rose, you're holding on to my burn, and it hurts!"

"Who stuck a stick up your butt today?" Rosalie muttered, moving her hold to my forearm.

"Edward Cullen," I said in a breath so low that I wasn't sure that they could hear me. The next thing I knew, I was falling, and hit the ground hard. I yelped, and looked up at the angry (and menacing) faces of my best friends. My eyes darted nervously between their faces. "Uhm… guys?" I was scared. Alice and Rosalie were not people to tick off and by golly they were definitely pissed at me right about now.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Bella?" Alice wailed, clutching her face in obvious agony.

"Alice?" My voice cracked up an octave as I read the pain there. How could this be my fault?

"Bella, do you have any idea how much pain you're causing him right now?" Rose asked in a gentle, but still fierce, voice.

I felt my heart rip in two at the sight of his face when I couldn't answer him. "Yes," I choked out. My breathing accelerated, and my eyes began to tear. God dammit! Why do I always cry at the worst times!?

Rosalie knelt down besides me, and tried to calm the hysteria that was overtaking me, but Alice still hadn't removed her hand from her face. "I'm a horrible person!" I sobbed. This seemed to break Alice out of her little moment, and she sat on my other side, trying to calm the sobs that were overtaking me. Tears streamed steadily down my cheeks, and I couldn't do anything to stop them.

"Bella, sweetie, just tell us why you didn't say yes. We all know you love him," Rose said in a soothing voice.

I became hysterical then, and my lips started to tingle, making it hard to talk. "He… just…. I… Jacob… and… I WISH I COULD DIE!" I wailed, burying my head in Alice's chest. She stroked my hair gently, but my body wanted a different, stronger set of arms. Choking on my tears, I stood up wobbling, Alice and Rose rising warily next to me.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-where is he?" I stuttered through my teeth.

Alice's eyes glazed out of focus for a moment, before she came back to the present. "In his car. Follow the sound of Muse," she said, pushing me in the direction of the door.

I began to run, and as a result, I slipped multiple times on the wet asphalt. "Edward!" I screamed hysterically, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. "Edward!"

Finally, through the pouring rain, I saw the outline of his Volvo, and my crying escalated. I tried to run faster, and slipped, falling face first into a large puddle. I wiped the mud off my face with my sweatshirt sleeve, and scrambled up to continue my journey. His car was rocking with the volume of the music, and I was afraid he wouldn't notice me.

Of course, I slipped in a puddle, slamming rather ungracefully into his door. I saved myself from falling just by grabbing the side view mirror. I saw his head snap up when I made contact, and pure hatred burned in his eyes, but was replaced with something else, worry maybe, when he took in my appearance.

He turned down the music and opened the door. "Bella-" I didn't let him finish. I jumped into the warmth of his car, and curled up in his lap, laying my head on his chest. I began sobbing, and he sat still for just a moment before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tighter to him. "Shh, baby, shh. It's okay," he murmured, rocking me gently back and forth.

I sniffled into his chest. "I'm a bad person," I mumbled sullenly once most of the tears had stopped.

"Who told you that, Bella?" he asked softly, pulling me closer still to him.

"No one. I just know. Because if I was a good person, I would've told you right away my answer this morning. If I was a good person, I wouldn't've let Jacob cross my mind at all ever. If I was a good person," I paused, looking up into his bloodshot, tearstained red eyes, "I would've told you right away hold I feel about you." I clenched my teeth, and prepared myself to say something that could hurt me very much. "Edward, I love you."

I closed my eyes, and felt him stiffen next to me. I waited for him to push me away, to tell me that he didn't love me, that it was just a bad bet to ask me out. But instead, he said, "I love you too, Bella. More than you can ever know."

The next thing I did know was that he was kissing me with such fervor that I couldn't quite stand it. His tongue brushed across my lower lip, and I opened my mouth, allowing our tongues to tangle together in a flurry of movement. And, oh my God. He tasted… wow. So good. I pulled back for breath, panting, as he drew from my shoulders to my jaw, and finally, back to my lips.

I straddled him, wrapping my legs around his hips and locking my ankles together. He tried to move us so that we could be more comfortable, but instead, we fell into the backseat in the little section between seats. I was on top of him, and I pulled away, letting out a shaky laugh that turned into full blown hysterical laughter. His emerald eyes sparkled, and his laughter shook me.

"Does this mean you're going out with me?" he asked, totally serious.

It was hard to stop my laughter to answer that one. "No, Edward, I go and randomly assault guys in their car just to dump them," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Yes, I'm going out with you, you fool," I said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. He grabbed the back of my head, holding me to him, our fingers tangling in each other's hair. Finally, we pulled apart, both gasping for breath.

"One thing," I said, holding up a finger. "How the hell are we supposed to get out?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Can you call Emmett and Jasper please?" Edward asked.

"Why can't you?"

"Because, in case you haven't noticed, I'm underneath you which would make it very difficult to hold a phone to my ear."

"Oh. Right." I patted my pockets, searching in vain for my phone. "Crap, I left it at home!" I squealed angrily.

"And mine's in the front seat," Edward mumbled.

After a moment of silence, I said. "We don't have to leave. I mean, your windows are tinted enough that no one could see us right?"

"Yeah, the back ones are really dark, but I don't think anyone would look down here," he pointed.

"Let's just hope that they need a ride home in your car, or else we're screwed," I giggled.

"You're very, very, right."

We spent the rest of the afternoon just talking, and making out occasionally.

"Ugh. Will they be here soon?" I grumbled after what seemed like (and probably was) hours. "I'm starving!" To prove my point, my stomach growled angrily.

There was a knock on the window, and I shrieked, pulling myself closer to Edward's chest.

"Is everything safe for our innocent eyes in there?" Emmett's unmistakable booming voice asked. Edward rolled his eyes, and I sighed in relief.

"Yeah, Emmett. Nothing too bad at all," Edward said.

The door open, and everyone cracked up at our position. I blushed, but Edward stayed completely calm. "Can you please help us?" I begged. "I'm starving!"

Alice and Rose laughed, but opened the door and pulled me out safely. Emmett and Jasper went in to rescue Edward, and we couldn't see much, but we sure did hear a lot of cussing.

We were both free, and I ran into Edward's arms.

"Looks like you two made up," Emmett said, waggling his eyebrows.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Emmett," he said, pulling me closer to him.

"I love you," I whispered quietly in his ear.

"As I love you," he whispered back.

**Ta-da! Okay, so since I got this up a day before I was going to, and because I know you all love me, please review! You guys totally rock last chapter, and I swear that if you give me 7 reviews, I will update next Sunday! **

**Gimmee your input please, and I'll give you a mini Edward figurine! :D Best gift ever right? Right. So press that green (as one of my readers kindly reminded me) button and REVIEW! :) **


	10. Age 16

"Bye, Mrs. Newton. See you tomorrow, Mike," I called as I took off the ugly orange smock that I had to wear while working at Newton's. As soon as I get enough money for a car, I'm definitely quitting this job.

"Hey, Bella, wait up a sec!" Mike shouted after me as I walked out the door. I cringed inwardly. This is why I hate my job. "Uh… well, I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me this Friday, for dinner and a movie, yah know?" he asked, shuffling his feet nervously.

"Mike, I've told you a million times. I," I pointed to my chest, "already have a boyfriend." And he's wayyy hotter than you, I added silently in my head. I mean, Mike was okay looking, he had nice blond hair and blue eyes, but he still seemed to look like a little boy.

He sighed. "We don't have to go as a couple," he murmured sullenly. "It could just be as friends, kay?"

I tried really hard not to roll my eyes. "Mike, I don't do that kind of thing. If I went to dinner and a movie with you, in my books that means that we're dating, which we're not."

"Oh, yeah? Then are you dating Black, or is he just your little play thing?" he snapped angrily. Ouch. Okay, that one really hurt. I did go to movies with Jake, but it was totally different than if I went with Mike.

"Jake and I have been best friends since we were little, and in case you don't remember, you pissed me off on the first day of kindergarten," I said with a tone that implied it was obvious. What wasn't obvious, however, is how much I can't stand to hurt Jake. Whenever he asks me to go to a movie with him, all I can do is say yes. If I don't, he'll be upset, and I hate to hurt him.

"Whatever, Bella," Mike said, stalking back into Newton's.

A lone raindrop spattered on my cheek, followed by a torrent of others. "Aw, crap," I muttered. Pulling up my sweatshirt hood, I began the long trek home that was ten times as difficult in the pouring rain. If only I hadn't failed…

A car screeched to a stop next to me, splattering me with mud and water. I wiped the water and muck from my eyes, wearily watching the car. I fingered the pepper spray in my pocket, when the window rolled down.

"Put away the pepper spray, and get in the car please, Bella," the velvet voice said patronizingly from the interior of the car. I dropped the small bottle back into my pocket, and almost ran to the car (if I really ran, I would've wiped out in the middle of the street, and probably gotten hit by a car).

"Hey," I said, shaking my head to try and rid the moisture from my hair. I snuck a peek at the glorious man sitting next to me, and was shocked to see his expression furious. His eyebrows were mashed together in a hard line, and his eyes burned with a kind of fire I've only seen once before.

I lightly pressed my fingers to his cheek, and was relieved to see him relax a teensy bit. "What's wrong?" I asked, keeping my fingers in place.

"Bella, you got your license a week ago, and yet you're still walking? Why didn't you use the cell phone I gave you to call me and ask me to pick you up? That's why I gave it to you so I could be a good boyfriend, and help my girlfriend when she needs help," he ranted. "Would it be too much to ask you to be a little welcoming of my help? It's how I was raised, Bella, and you have no idea how much it hurts me when you refuse to call me just because you're worried I was busy."

I removed my hand from his cheek, and began playing with my fingers in my lap. "My phone was dead," I said in a small voice. "And you know that I don't have a car, and driving the police cruiser is out of the question."

"Then why won't you let me loan you a car? You know we far too many," he said, eyes still blazing.

"Because I didn't pass my test!" I exclaimed in a rush. The car screeched to a stop in front of my house, and I was thrown forward.

"You… didn't pass?" he asked uncomprehendingly.

"No," I mumbled, embarrassed.

He started to shake, and I looked up from my moping. His eyes were sparkling happily, and I could tell that he was trying to contain his laughter. "It's not funny," I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. That seemed to do it. With a gasp, he burst into hysterics, pounding on the steering wheel in his little tirade of laughter. When he didn't stop, I kicked open the car door and started getting out. With a yelp, I was pulled back in by someone grabbing my wrist. Then next thing I knew, my head was in Edward's lap, and I was looking up at his crooked grin.

"That was totally unnecessary," I huffed, trying to squirm away from him.

"Me laughing hysterically at the fact that you failed your drivers test or me pulling you back into my car by your wrist?" he asked with a smirk.

I thought for a moment, "Both." This made him laugh harder.

"Did you feel the need to hold me hostage just to laugh at me, or do you actually have a reason?" I questioned, starting to get irritated. This is why I didn't tell anyone I failed.

"Silly Bella, I always have a reason for my crazy actions," he said, rolling his eyes.

It was silent for a moment.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" I finally asked.

"I'll tell you, you're such a horrible guesser," he chuckled. He picked me up so I was sitting on his lap, and I automatically laid my head on his chest. "Tonight, I was wondering if you would go on a triple date with me."

I pulled away from him, and looked right into his emerald eyes, trying not to dazzle myself. "Triple date?" I questioned.

"Yeah, you and me, Alice and Jazz, and Rose and Em. We'd go out to dinner in Port Angeles, and either see a movie or go shopping," he explained.

"Ew, shopping!?" I wailed.

He laughed musically. "Alice and Rose wanna, but the rest of us don't. You were the deciding vote, so now we're going to a movie!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "That is, if you wanna go," he said, his happy mood gone completely.

"Of course I will," I said, rolling my eyes. "What time will you pick me up?"

He made a face. "Actually, Alice said that if you were coming that she would come over and 'make you over'," he said, using air-quotes that looked very girly.

"Ack! No!" I shouted.

He shook his head. "There is no way to stop a force of nature, Bella," he murmured, pressing his lips softly to mine. His hand snaked down to the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. My mouth opened to accept his tongue, and they tangled gracefully together. Fingers tangled in his messy hair, I pulled myself closer to him.

Finally, we both pulled away, gasping for breath. "Let's not get too carried away. We don't want to get stuck again," I giggled, lightheaded.

He chuckled. "I suppose you're right," he murmured, brushing his fingers lightly across my cheek. I shivered in delight. "Alice will be here at four, so be ready," he said, pulling me out of my moment of bliss.

Grumbling something about how pixies shouldn't be allowed to kidnap the innocent, I gave Edward a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later," I mumbled.

"Bella?" Edward called as he leaned out his window.

"Yeah?"

"Let Alice do what she wants. She makes you look more beautiful than a god." With a final crooked grin, he drove away, leaving me gasping for breath.

"Stupid shiny Volvo owner."

**I'm so sorry that I didn't update on Sunday! I was going to, but then our internet went down. Okay, no big deal, I'll update on Monday, I thought. But no. My dad had a mini stroke (he's on the mend) so I couldn't update until now, and I didn't even get to put up half the chapter I wanted to. Sorry, sorry, sorry! Don't attack me with pitchforks for being a bad author.**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for the shortieness of this chap, and promise to update Sunday, unless a catastrophe happens. Please review, I miss hearing what you guys have to say. :D**


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